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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 · cabinet · last · trunk · suit · rush · march · clip

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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. trunk — of an elephant
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rush — hurry
  7. foot — a measure
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — to fit
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. last — to go on
  12. march — the month
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. clip — a video
  15. march — music
  16. clip — for paper
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. march — the month
  20. suit — clothes
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. last — finally
  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