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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: racket · mark · cold · temple · rash · board · kid · swing

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. kid — to tease
  3. swing — music
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. kid — child
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mark — a trace
  10. board — to get on
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rash — a series
  14. board — a committee
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cold — an illness
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rash — hasty
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. cold — the Cold War

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