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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. content — the amount
  4. branch — a division
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. ball — a great time
  7. content — happy
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. ball — a dance
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rock — music
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. rock — a stone
  24. mine — for digging

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