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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 120 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: swing · content · cabinet · bound · calf · race · stand · squash

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. swing — to play on
  3. squash — to crush
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bound — obliged
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bound — certain
  11. content — happy
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. race — humankind
  15. stand — to bear
  16. race — the arms race
  17. content — the amount
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bound — tied together
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. race — a contest
  24. squash — the sport

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