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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: capital · shower · key · race · chair · pound · bound · rest

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. key — in music
  3. race — the arms race
  4. key — for a lock
  5. rest — what's left
  6. shower — to wash
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — money
  11. bound — obliged
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. race — a contest
  14. rest — a break
  15. bound — certain
  16. race — humankind
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bound — tied together
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. rest — what's left
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. chair — a leader

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