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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.

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: nail · wake · temple · bore · bat · content · rock · squash

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rock — music
  4. squash — the sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rock — a stone
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bore — to drill
  24. content — the amount

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