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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: chest · pass · race · squash · snap · trunk · kick · bound

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. race — the arms race
  3. snap — to click
  4. chest — a box
  5. pass — a permit
  6. race — humankind
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bound — obliged
  10. squash — to crush
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bound — certain
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. chest — of your body
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. race — a contest
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bound — tied together
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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