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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: ball · ground · bay · arm · temple · deal · bat · content

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ground — a position
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. ball — a dance
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bat — the animal
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. content — the amount
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. content — happy
  24. arm — a part of something

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