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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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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: temple · cap · can · mark · deal · last · land · bore

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. land — ground
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. can — a tin
  8. last — finally
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to tire
  12. can — to be able to
  13. cap — a lid
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bore — to drill
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. can — a tin
  19. deal — to handle
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. cap — a hat
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. deal — an agreement

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