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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: snap · temple · chest · current · march · toast · swing · fine

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. chest — of your body
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. chest — a box
  5. current — happening now
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. current — of water
  9. march — the month
  10. fine — all right
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. fine — high quality
  16. chest — of your body
  17. current — electric
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. snap — to click
  22. swing — music
  23. toast — bread
  24. temple — a place of worship

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