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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: coach · chest · cabinet · toast · kick · race

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. 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. chest — of your body
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. toast — bread
  5. kick — in football
  6. chest — a box
  7. race — the arms race
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. race — a contest
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. race — humankind
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. chest — of your body
  18. 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