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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: racket · swing · temple · arm · march · cabinet · kid · track

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. track — a song
  4. march — the month
  5. track — to keep track
  6. march — music
  7. kid — child
  8. march — the month
  9. track — a path
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. kid — to tease
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. swing — in golf
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. temple — side of the head

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