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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. firm — decided
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. branch — a division
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. toast — bread
  8. fall — to drop
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. file — a document
  11. kick — in football
  12. firm — a company
  13. file — a tool
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. file — a line of people
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. fall — to drop
  23. firm — steady
  24. fall — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

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

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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