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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: rash · craft · content · straw · root · temple · bat · deal

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. content — the amount
  5. rash — hasty
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rash — a series
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. root — the cause
  19. deal — to handle
  20. content — happy
  21. bat — the animal
  22. root — of a plant
  23. craft — boats
  24. root — of a word

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