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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: content · arm · rock · race · calf · toast · board · capital

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. race — a contest
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. content — happy
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. race — the arms race
  15. capital — money
  16. rock — a stone
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. capital — a city
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. toast — bread
  23. rock — music
  24. race — humankind

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