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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 120 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: chip · pass · tear · race · shower · capital · root · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. pass — a permit
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. race — humankind
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. race — a contest
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chip — for betting
  10. root — the cause
  11. capital — a city
  12. tear — to rip
  13. root — of a word
  14. key — in music
  15. shower — to wash
  16. root — of a plant
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. chip — to eat
  21. shower — rain
  22. capital — money
  23. key — the most important part
  24. race — the arms race

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