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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: racket · can · cabinet · lean · cold · court · sharp · present

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. court — for sport
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. court — of law
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. present — there
  8. cold — an illness
  9. present — the time now
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. present — a gift
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. cold — not warm
  18. lean — thin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. can — a tin
  22. court — of a king
  23. lean — to bend
  24. can — a tin

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