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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: stand · season · firm · pitch · temple · hand · bore · mine

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — completely
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. stand — to bear
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. firm — steady
  16. bore — to drill
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. firm — decided
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. firm — a company
  22. bore — to tire
  23. season — in sport
  24. mine — for digging

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