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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: content · clip · racket · mark · nail · bat · track · temple

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. clip — for paper
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. content — happy
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. track — to keep track
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mark — a trace
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mark — a grade
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bat — the animal
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. content — the amount
  22. track — a song
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. track — a path

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