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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.

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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: content · pop · kid · bay · band · scale · temple · club

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. band — a music group
  3. pop — to visit
  4. kid — to tease
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. club — for golf
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. scale — in music
  11. club — for dancing
  12. kid — child
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. band — a ring
  16. pop — soda
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. club — a group
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. content — happy
  24. pop — music

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