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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: chip · swing · jam · mouse · chest · shower · kick · temple

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. swing — music
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. shower — to wash
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. chest — a box
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. shower — rain
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. chest — of your body
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chip — for betting
  23. kick — in football
  24. jam — a tight spot

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