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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: snap · race · rest · bound · spell · wake · face · kick

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. race — humankind
  4. face — to confront
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rest — a break
  7. face — part of the head
  8. spell — letters
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spell — magic
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bound — obliged
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. race — the arms race
  19. rest — what's left
  20. snap — to click
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. kick — in football
  24. race — a contest

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