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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 120 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: chest · lie · foot · spell · race · mate · pass · wake

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wake — a trail
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spell — magic
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. race — a contest
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mate — to breed
  11. foot — a measure
  12. race — humankind
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pass — a permit
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. lie — to recline
  21. race — the arms race
  22. spell — letters
  23. chest — a box
  24. pass — to succeed

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