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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · temple · club · bat · nail · bark · chest · squash

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. chest — of your body
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. club — for golf
  7. chest — of your body
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. club — a group
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. chest — a box
  21. squash — to crush
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. squash — the sport
  24. nail — on a finger

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