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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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468
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: present · cabinet · lean · pit · swing · net · arm · pitcher

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. swing — to play on
  4. present — there
  5. pit — in a race
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. net — after costs
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. net — for catching
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. present — a gift
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pit — a hole
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. net — in sport
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. present — the time now

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