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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: chest · capital · date · swing · jam · suit · fork · temple

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. date — the fruit
  5. swing — to play on
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. suit — in cards
  8. capital — a city
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. suit — clothes
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. suit — to fit
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fork — in a road
  21. capital — money
  22. swing — in golf
  23. date — on the calendar
  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