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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: temple · rush · chip · track · chest · hand · object · wound

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. chip — to eat
  3. track — a path
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chest — of your body
  15. object — to protest
  16. rush — hurry
  17. hand — help
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. object — an aim
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. object — a thing

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