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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 116 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: pound · capital · kid · race · fine · straw

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. capital — a city
  5. kid — child
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. capital — money
  8. fine — high quality
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — a contest
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. fine — all right
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. kid — to tease
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pound — a weight

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