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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: arm · calf · cabinet · toast · race · chip · court · coach

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. race — humankind
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. race — a contest
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. toast — bread
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. race — the arms race
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. court — of law
  19. chip — to eat
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. court — of a king
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. cabinet — ministers

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