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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: last · race · fine · lean · clip · sharp · foot · cabinet

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. sharp — clever
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. last — final
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. race — a contest
  8. clip — for paper
  9. lean — to bend
  10. last — finally
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. race — humankind
  14. clip — a video
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. lean — thin
  17. fine — high quality
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fine — all right
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. foot — a measure
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. last — to go on

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