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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
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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: last · temple · leaves · cap · roll · field · land · racket

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. field — farmland
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cap — of ice
  6. field — for sport
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a list
  9. last — to go on
  10. land — ground
  11. last — finally
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. land — a country
  15. cap — a hat
  16. last — final
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cap — a lid
  19. field — a subject
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. land — to come down
  24. racket — for tennis

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