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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: chest · staff · present · lean · court · arm · can · race

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. race — a contest
  7. court — for sport
  8. staff — employees
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. race — humankind
  12. present — a gift
  13. can — a tin
  14. present — there
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. court — of a king
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. race — the arms race
  23. court — of law
  24. present — the time now

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