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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: charge · race · wake · bass · suit · chest · foot · tube

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. race — the arms race
  4. suit — in cards
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. tube — a container
  8. chest — of your body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bass — the fish
  11. tube — the underground
  12. suit — clothes
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. charge — a price
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wake — a trail
  17. race — a contest
  18. bass — low music
  19. charge — in control
  20. race — humankind
  21. charge — electricity
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. chest — a box

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