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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: race · cabinet · bay · kick · stick · spell · chest · wave

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. spell — letters
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. chest — a box
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. race — humankind
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spell — magic
  21. race — a contest
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. race — the arms race

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