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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: race · wake · club · last · foot · ruler · lash · clip

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wake — a trail
  6. race — a contest
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. foot — a measure
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. last — final
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. last — to go on
  17. clip — to cut
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for golf
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. last — finally
  22. race — humankind
  23. club — for dancing
  24. clip — a video

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