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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mouse · hand · shower · bore · race · lean · key · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. key — in music
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bore — to tire
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. key — the most important part
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. lean — thin
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. hand — help
  15. race — a contest
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. key — for a lock
  18. lean — to bend
  19. race — humankind
  20. bore — to drill
  21. shower — to wash
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. race — the arms race
  24. shower — rain

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