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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: rule · rest · last · race · temple · foot · clip · ruler

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. last — final
  5. rule — a law
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rest — a break
  8. race — the arms race
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. race — a contest
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. last — to go on
  13. foot — a measure
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. race — humankind
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rule — government
  19. last — finally
  20. clip — for paper
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. ruler — for measuring

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