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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 · pitch · season · mate · plane · bound · board · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. board — to get on
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. mate — to breed
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bound — certain
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bound — tied together
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. plane — a tool
  16. mate — a friend
  17. board — a committee
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. ball — a dance
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bound — obliged
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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