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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 120 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: pitch · bay · spring · temple · track · race · rock · staff

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. race — a contest
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. staff — employees
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. track — a path
  12. staff — employees
  13. race — the arms race
  14. spring — of water
  15. race — humankind
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. spring — the season
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. staff — a stick
  21. rock — a stone
  22. track — a song
  23. rock — music
  24. track — to keep track

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