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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: arm · race · shower · present · sharp · cabinet · bound · staff

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. shower — rain
  3. race — humankind
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. staff — employees
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. present — there
  8. sharp — clever
  9. staff — a stick
  10. shower — to wash
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. present — a gift
  13. staff — employees
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bound — certain
  17. race — a contest
  18. bound — obliged
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bound — tied together
  21. present — the time now
  22. race — the arms race
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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