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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: kid · toast · race · arm · game · rock · cabinet · court

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. court — of a king
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kid — to tease
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. race — a contest
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. rock — music
  18. kid — child
  19. race — humankind
  20. rock — a stone
  21. toast — bread
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. race — the arms race
  24. game — a match

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