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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: present · race · pass · snap · fine · wave · bay · chest

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  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. pass — to succeed
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. snap — to click
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. race — a contest
  8. chest — a box
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. present — there
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. fine — all right
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. fine — high quality
  19. present — a gift
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. present — the time now
  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