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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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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: bay · bat · fork · ball · branch · temple · mate · mouse

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mate — a partner
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. ball — a dance
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. mouse — the animal

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