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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: pop · cabinet · mark · foot · calf · hand · board · race

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. hand — help
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. board — to get on
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pop — music
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. race — the arms race
  19. board — a committee
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. hand — in cards
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. board — a flat piece

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