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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: swing · content · wound · mug · charge · nail · racket · temple

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. swing — to play on
  3. content — happy
  4. charge — electricity
  5. swing — music
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mug — to rob
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mug — a face
  14. charge — a price
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. swing — in golf
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. content — the amount
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. charge — in control
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. mug — a cup
  24. wound — an injury

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