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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: trunk · chair · pitcher · capital · temple · mate · date · pitch

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  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. date — on the calendar
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. capital — money
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. mate — a friend
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. capital — a city
  19. pitch — completely
  20. date — the fruit
  21. chair — a leader
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mate — a partner
  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