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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: toast · swing · rash · temple · content · pound · key · mouse

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. content — happy
  6. key — in music
  7. pound — a weight
  8. swing — to play on
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rash — a series
  15. key — the most important part
  16. swing — music
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. swing — in golf
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. key — for a lock
  23. toast — bread
  24. pound — to hit hard

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