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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: lash · chest · swing · current · board · temple · chair · march

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. swing — in golf
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. march — music
  6. swing — music
  7. chair — a leader
  8. board — to get on
  9. current — happening now
  10. swing — to play on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. board — a committee
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. current — of water
  16. chest — a box
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. current — electric
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. march — the month
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. march — the month

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