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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · rule · foot · clip · shower · last · mug · staff

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. last — to go on
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. shower — rain
  5. mug — a face
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — government
  11. staff — a stick
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rule — a law
  14. shower — to wash
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — to rob
  18. last — finally
  19. foot — a measure
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. last — final
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. foot — the bottom

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