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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: temple · file · hide · swing · toast · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. toast — bread
  5. file — a tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. swing — to play on
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — in football
  11. file — a line of people
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. swing — in golf
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. swing — music
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. file — a document
  18. temple — a place of worship

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