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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. press — to push
  3. branch — a division
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — happy
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fall — to drop
  9. object — a thing
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. toast — bread
  14. press — a publisher
  15. last — final
  16. object — to protest
  17. fall — to drop
  18. object — an aim
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. last — to go on
  21. press — newspapers
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fall — the season
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com