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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: mate · coach · content · trunk · toast · game · racket · temple

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. content — happy
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. content — the amount
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. toast — bread
  20. mate — a partner
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mate — a friend
  24. game — a match

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