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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: saw · foot · rest · firm · present · cap · clip · race

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. firm — a company
  3. rest — a break
  4. present — the time now
  5. firm — decided
  6. present — a gift
  7. saw — the tool
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cap — of ice
  11. clip — to cut
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — a contest
  14. foot — a measure
  15. race — the arms race
  16. clip — for paper
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. clip — a video
  19. rest — what's left
  20. firm — steady
  21. present — there
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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