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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: pit · pop · present · capital · temple · last · plane · racket

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. present — a gift
  3. pop — to visit
  4. last — finally
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. present — the time now
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. present — there
  10. pit — in a race
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pit — a hole
  14. last — final
  15. pop — music
  16. plane — a tool
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. capital — a city
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pop — soda
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. capital — money

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