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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: stem · foot · court · file · mug · charge · clip · last

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. charge — a price
  3. stem — to come from
  4. last — finally
  5. mug — a face
  6. clip — a video
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. charge — electricity
  10. mug — to rob
  11. charge — in control
  12. clip — to cut
  13. court — of a king
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. court — of law
  16. file — a document
  17. last — to go on
  18. clip — for paper
  19. mug — a cup
  20. court — for sport
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. last — final

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