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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: temple · bore · content · pop · calf · ball · bat · bark

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. content — happy
  7. bore — to drill
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pop — soda
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. pop — music
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bark — to shout
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bore — to tire

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