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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: field · cabinet · kick · spell · pitch · lean · court · stick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spell — a short time
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. spell — letters
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. field — for sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. field — farmland
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. spell — magic
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. lean — thin
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. court — for sport
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. field — a subject
  23. lean — to bend
  24. pitch — completely

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