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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: rock · content · rash · swing · can · chest · current · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. chest — of your body
  5. content — the amount
  6. rash — a series
  7. chest — of your body
  8. swing — music
  9. rock — music
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. chest — a box
  12. rash — hasty
  13. content — happy
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. swing — to play on
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. can — a tin
  19. current — happening now
  20. rock — a stone
  21. swing — in golf
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. rock — to move gently

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