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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: track · ground · present · capital · press · march · temple · root

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. track — a path
  3. root — of a word
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. capital — money
  6. present — the time now
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. press — to push
  9. present — there
  10. root — of a plant
  11. press — newspapers
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. march — music
  14. press — a publisher
  15. ground — crushed
  16. capital — a city
  17. track — to keep track
  18. march — the month
  19. root — the cause
  20. ground — the earth
  21. track — a song
  22. present — a gift
  23. ground — a position
  24. capital — a big letter

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