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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: pitch · last · fall · bear · pass · court · spring · temple

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fall — to drop
  4. court — of law
  5. spring — the season
  6. last — final
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. last — finally
  9. fall — the season
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fall — to drop
  12. court — of a king
  13. spring — of water
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pitch — completely
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. court — for sport
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. spring — a coil

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