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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: foot · chest · staff · rule · arm · last · dip · clip

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. last — final
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. clip — a video
  11. foot — a measure
  12. staff — a stick
  13. clip — for paper
  14. staff — employees
  15. dip — to sink
  16. chest — of your body
  17. staff — employees
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rule — government
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. chest — a box
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. clip — to cut
  24. arm — part of the body

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