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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: temple · content · swing · cap · club · last · pit · chair

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cap — a lid
  4. content — happy
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. last — final
  7. swing — in golf
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cap — of ice
  10. last — to go on
  11. pit — a hole
  12. club — a group
  13. swing — to play on
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. last — finally
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. content — the amount
  21. cap — a hat
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — for dancing
  24. pit — in a race

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