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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: net · shower · temple · can · foot · lie · content · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. content — the amount
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. lie — to recline
  9. can — a tin
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. can — to be able to
  12. foot — a measure
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. net — after costs
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. net — for catching
  18. shower — rain
  19. content — happy
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. can — a tin
  22. net — in sport
  23. shower — to wash
  24. ball — a dance

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