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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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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: cabinet · swing · fall · field · bound · kick · deal · stand

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bound — certain
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. field — a subject
  8. fall — the season
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. swing — to play on
  11. field — farmland
  12. deal — to handle
  13. field — for sport
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stand — to bear
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fall — to drop
  19. swing — in golf
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. kick — in football
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stand — on your feet

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