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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: racket · clip · foot · rest · temple · lie · ball · chest

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rest — what's left
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rest — a break
  11. clip — a video
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. ball — a dance
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. rest — what's left
  19. clip — to cut
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. chest — of your body

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