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

Word bank: toast · present · kick · firm · bat · fall · temple · spell

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. firm — decided
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. present — a gift
  12. bat — the animal
  13. spell — a short time
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. present — there
  18. firm — a company
  19. present — the time now
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. spell — letters
  22. toast — bread
  23. spell — magic
  24. kick — in football

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