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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 · chip · chest · foot · racket · swing · race · rush

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. race — the arms race
  4. chip — for betting
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — humankind
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. chest — a box
  10. rush — hurry
  11. chip — to eat
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. swing — music
  14. foot — a measure
  15. chest — of your body
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. swing — to play on
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. swing — in golf
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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