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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: pound · chest · face · stand · race · calf · coach · kid

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. stand — to bear
  6. race — humankind
  7. kid — child
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pound — a weight
  11. chest — of your body
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. chest — a box
  15. face — part of the head
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. race — a contest
  22. face — to point toward
  23. kid — to tease
  24. chest — of your body

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