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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: cabinet · leaves · kick · cold · squash · band · stick · deal

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. squash — the sport
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — in football
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. squash — to crush
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. deal — to handle
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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