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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: race · straw · cabinet · bound · sharp · shower · roll · stand

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bound — certain
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bound — obliged
  12. race — the arms race
  13. shower — to wash
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. stand — to bear
  17. race — a contest
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. shower — rain
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. roll — a cake
  22. sharp — clever
  23. race — humankind
  24. stand — on your feet

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