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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.

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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: rock · temple · tear · snap · board · swing · content · craft

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. tear — to rip
  6. content — the amount
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. content — happy
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — boats
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. board — to get on
  13. swing — music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. tear — from crying
  18. swing — to play on
  19. craft — a skill
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. snap — to click
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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