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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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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 · tear · temple · cell · last · tube · racket · rash

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tube — the underground
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. tube — a container
  8. tear — from crying
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. last — final
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. cell — in biology
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. rash — hasty
  17. last — to go on
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. last — finally
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. foot — a measure

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