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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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Word bank
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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 · lean · swing · land · stand · cabinet · racket · kick

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. stand — to bear
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. lean — thin
  8. land — ground
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. content — the amount
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. swing — in golf
  13. land — to come down
  14. kick — in football
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lean — to bend
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. content — happy
  20. land — a country
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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