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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · temple · sharp · tear · bat · mate · mark · fine

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mark — a trace
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bat — the animal
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. sharp — clever
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. content — the amount
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mate — a partner
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. tear — from crying

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