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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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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: coach · temple · bear · fork · kick · content · tube · fall

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. content — happy
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. content — the amount
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fall — the season
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. fall — to drop
  24. kick — a thrill

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