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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: temple · last · chair · wake · clip · bowl · foot · mark

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mark — a grade
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. last — final
  9. foot — a measure
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. clip — for paper
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. last — to go on
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. chair — a leader
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. last — finally
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bowl — a football 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