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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: bark · fork · temple · bat · foot · last · content · lash

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bark — to shout
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. content — happy
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. foot — a measure
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. content — the amount
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bat — the animal
  21. last — final
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. fork — a garden tool

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