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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: temple · fine · mug · ball · leaves · content · bat · hide

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fine — all right
  4. mug — a face
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. content — happy
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. ball — a great time
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mug — to rob
  15. content — the amount
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bat — the animal
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. ball — a dance
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. mug — a cup
  24. content — videos and posts

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