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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: bound · leaves · key · capital · court · sharp · race · object

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bound — tied together
  3. sharp — clever
  4. capital — money
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bound — certain
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. race — the arms race
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. court — for sport
  13. object — to protest
  14. key — the most important part
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. object — a thing
  17. bound — obliged
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. object — an aim
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. capital — a city
  24. race — a contest

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