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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: land · swing · mate · current · cabinet · fine · kid · chest

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. swing — music
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mate — a partner
  7. kid — child
  8. swing — to play on
  9. chest — a box
  10. land — ground
  11. current — electric
  12. land — to come down
  13. fine — high quality
  14. current — happening now
  15. chest — of your body
  16. current — of water
  17. mate — to breed
  18. swing — in golf
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mate — a friend
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. land — a country
  23. fine — all right
  24. kid — to tease

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