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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 · clip · mate · straw · rash · chest · racket · ball

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mate — a partner
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. rash — a series
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mate — a friend
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. chest — of your body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. chest — a box
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. clip — to cut
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mate — to breed
  21. ball — a dance
  22. chest — of your body
  23. clip — for paper
  24. rash — hasty

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