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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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Word bank
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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 · racket · current · pit · temple · wax · cold · scale

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. scale — in music
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cold — an illness
  9. scale — size or range
  10. current — electric
  11. swing — to play on
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pit — a hole
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cold — not warm
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  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