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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: board · rule · shower · bound · race · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. race — humankind
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. race — a contest
  9. shower — rain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. board — to get on
  13. pound — a weight
  14. rule — government
  15. board — a committee
  16. rule — a law
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bound — certain

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