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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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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: temple · rest · sharp · court · kick · snap · swing · date

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rest — a break
  4. court — of a king
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. sharp — clever
  7. date — the fruit
  8. rest — what's left
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. kick — in football
  12. swing — to play on
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rest — what's left
  15. swing — in golf
  16. snap — to click
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. court — of law
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. court — for sport
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. kick — with a leg

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