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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: rest · swing · fine · season · track · pitch · chip · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. chip — for betting
  3. track — to keep track
  4. season — of the year
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. season — in sport
  7. swing — in golf
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — all right
  13. track — a path
  14. track — a song
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. swing — to play on
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rest — a break
  19. swing — music
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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