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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: kick · hide · chair · cabinet · stick · court

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chair — a leader
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. court — of a king
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. court — for sport
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. court — of law
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cabinet — ministers

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