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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  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. kick — with a leg
  2. last — finally
  3. chest — of your body
  4. last — to go on
  5. stock — goods
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. fine — all right
  8. chest — of your body
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. kick — in football
  13. object — an aim
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. object — to protest
  16. stock — shares
  17. object — a thing
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chest — a box
  20. fine — high quality
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. last — final
  23. stand — to bear
  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