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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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Word bank
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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: spell · rock · last · present · race · face · mate · chip

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. last — final
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. spell — letters
  7. rock — a stone
  8. last — to go on
  9. race — a contest
  10. spell — magic
  11. last — finally
  12. present — a gift
  13. mate — a partner
  14. chip — for betting
  15. face — part of the head
  16. race — humankind
  17. chip — to eat
  18. spell — a short time
  19. present — there
  20. face — to confront
  21. present — the time now
  22. race — the arms race
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rock — music

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