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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: roll · temple · game · swing · spring · current · face · cell

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — in golf
  3. cell — a phone
  4. roll — a list
  5. spring — a coil
  6. current — happening now
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. current — of water
  9. roll — a cake
  10. current — electric
  11. spring — of water
  12. cell — in biology
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. spring — the season
  17. face — part of the head
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. swing — to play on
  20. face — to confront
  21. game — a match
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

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