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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: shower · sharp · bound · present · race · kid · stand · fine

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. present — a gift
  3. fine — all right
  4. shower — to wash
  5. race — humankind
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. fine — high quality
  8. present — the time now
  9. shower — rain
  10. race — the arms race
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. race — a contest
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bound — certain
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bound — tied together
  21. stand — to bear
  22. kid — child
  23. present — there
  24. fine — a penalty

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