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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: cold · swing · can · snap · track · temple · sharp · racket

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. swing — music
  6. track — a path
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. can — to be able to
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. can — a tin
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cold — an illness
  16. track — to keep track
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. swing — in golf
  20. snap — to click
  21. cold — not warm
  22. swing — to play on
  23. track — a song
  24. can — a tin

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