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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: race · pop · deal · fan · staff · foot · clip · rest

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rest — what's left
  5. staff — a stick
  6. clip — a video
  7. race — a contest
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. staff — employees
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. rest — a break
  13. staff — employees
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. foot — a measure
  18. clip — to cut
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. pop — soda
  24. clip — for paper

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