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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: swing · ground · chair · wound · court · chest · tear · temple

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. swing — in golf
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. swing — to play on
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. swing — music
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. ground — crushed
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. court — of a king
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chest — of your body

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