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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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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: temple · content · lash · club · chest · chip · suit · sharp

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. club — for golf
  3. chest — of your body
  4. club — for dancing
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. sharp — clever
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. chest — a box
  11. suit — to fit
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chest — of your body
  14. club — a group
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. chip — for betting
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. content — happy
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. suit — in cards
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. suit — clothes

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