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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: race · coach · cap · calf · ground · suit · court · stem

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stem — to come from
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — humankind
  5. cap — of ice
  6. ground — crushed
  7. race — the arms race
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. suit — clothes
  10. ground — a position
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cap — a lid
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. court — of law
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. suit — in cards
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. ground — the earth
  24. suit — to fit

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