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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: chair · drill · swing · mark · lie · temple · cell · spring

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mark — a trace
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cell — in biology
  5. swing — to play on
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spring — the season
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. chair — a leader
  11. spring — a coil
  12. lie — to recline
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. mark — a grade
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. spring — of water
  17. drill — the tool
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. swing — music
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cell — a phone

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