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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: date · cabinet · swing · rule · staff · content · wake · chest

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. date — the fruit
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. content — happy
  13. swing — music
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. chest — of your body
  17. swing — to play on
  18. content — the amount
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. rule — government
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. swing — in golf
  24. rule — a law

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