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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: kick · temple · mate · swing · racket · lie · chest · craft

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. chest — of your body
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. lie — to recline
  5. swing — to play on
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chest — of your body
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. craft — boats
  13. swing — in golf
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. chest — a box
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mate — to breed
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. craft — a skill
  20. swing — music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. kick — in football
  24. lie — an untruth

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