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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: bore · temple · pop · straw · tear · court · content · calf

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bore — to drill
  3. content — the amount
  4. pop — soda
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. content — happy
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. court — of a king
  10. pop — music
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. court — for sport
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. tear — to rip
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pop — to visit
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bore — to tire
  24. court — of law

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