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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: cabinet · race · shower · press · bound · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. press — newspapers
  3. bound — obliged
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bound — tied together
  6. press — a publisher
  7. shower — rain
  8. chest — a box
  9. press — to push
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. race — the arms race
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bound — certain
  15. race — a contest
  16. shower — to wash
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. race — humankind

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