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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: hand · bore · temple · net · content · mark · track · current

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bore — to tire
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — of water
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. track — a path
  13. mark — a trace
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. current — electric
  17. net — after costs
  18. bore — to drill
  19. track — to keep track
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. net — for catching
  22. content — the amount
  23. track — a song
  24. net — in sport

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