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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. current — of water
  3. swing — music
  4. current — happening now
  5. march — the month
  6. chest — of your body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. swing — in golf
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. chest — a box
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bark — to shout
  19. current — electric
  20. rush — hurry
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. swing — to play on
  24. chest — of your body

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