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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: content · sharp · temple · bowl · key · chest · club · coach

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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. club — for golf
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. content — the amount
  7. chest — of your body
  8. key — in music
  9. club — for dancing
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. chest — a box
  13. key — for a lock
  14. club — a group
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chest — of your body
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. key — the most important part

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