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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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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: kick · key · cabinet · court · stick · swing · pass · content

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. key — the most important part
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. content — happy
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. court — for sport
  8. swing — to play on
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. key — for a lock
  12. content — the amount
  13. kick — in football
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. pass — a permit
  21. swing — in golf
  22. key — in music
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. swing — music

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