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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 120 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 · swing · sharp · row · suit · shower · last · arm

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. suit — clothes
  6. swing — music
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. suit — to fit
  9. swing — in golf
  10. sharp — clever
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. last — to go on
  16. swing — to play on
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. shower — to wash
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. shower — rain
  23. last — final
  24. suit — in cards

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