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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: mine · key · mark · bat · content · arm · club · temple

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. club — a group
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mine — for digging
  8. content — happy
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. mark — a grade
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. key — in music
  19. club — for dancing
  20. key — the most important part
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. club — for golf
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. key — for a lock

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