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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: lie · mate · squash · bowl · temple · craft · content · pound

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mate — a friend
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. lie — to recline
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. craft — a skill
  11. squash — to crush
  12. content — happy
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. content — the amount
  18. mate — to breed
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pound — a weight
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bowl — a football final

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