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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 120 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: bay · bore · cold · nail · racket · fork · temple · march

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. march — the month
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. march — music
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. march — the month
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bore — to tire
  16. cold — an illness
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bore — to drill

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