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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: club · fine · swing · mark · temple · nail · last · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cell — in biology
  4. last — to go on
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fine — all right
  7. club — for golf
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. club — for dancing
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cell — a phone
  14. last — finally
  15. club — a group
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. swing — to play on
  18. last — final
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. mark — a grade
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. swing — music
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. swing — in golf

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