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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. lean — to bend
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. race — the arms race
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. object — an aim
  8. race — humankind
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. face — to confront
  11. race — a contest
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. object — a thing
  14. toast — bread
  15. file — a document
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. file — a line of people
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. object — to protest
  22. lean — thin
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. file — a tool

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