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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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Word bank
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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: clip · chest · race · last · stand · cabinet

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. race — humankind
  3. clip — to cut
  4. chest — a box
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. stand — to bear
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. chest — of your body
  10. last — to go on
  11. chest — of your body
  12. clip — for paper
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. last — finally
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. last — final
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest

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