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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: hand · rule · chest · pit · track · charge · wake · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wake — a trail
  7. track — to keep track
  8. hand — in cards
  9. chest — of your body
  10. hand — help
  11. charge — electricity
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — government
  14. charge — in control
  15. pit — in a race
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pit — a hole
  20. track — a path
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. chest — a box
  23. track — a song
  24. charge — a price

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