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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 · wind · kick · swing · lie · net · stand · cabinet

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. net — after costs
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wind — moving air
  10. net — in sport
  11. stand — to bear
  12. kick — in football
  13. field — a subject
  14. swing — music
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. swing — in golf
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. lie — to recline
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. net — for catching
  24. kick — a thrill

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