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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · temple · present · chest · bound · mark · net · swing

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — music
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. degree — from a university
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. net — after costs
  8. bound — tied together
  9. chest — of your body
  10. present — a gift
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bound — obliged
  13. present — there
  14. mark — a grade
  15. present — the time now
  16. net — in sport
  17. chest — a box
  18. net — for catching
  19. bound — certain
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mark — a trace
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. degree — temperature

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