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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: chest · foot · fall · swing · fine · kid · mate · current

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. swing — to play on
  3. current — happening now
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fine — all right
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fall — the season
  8. chest — a box
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. mate — a friend
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. fall — to drop
  16. current — of water
  17. swing — music
  18. mate — to breed
  19. chest — of your body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. kid — child
  22. mate — a partner
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fall — to drop

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