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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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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: bowl · land · temple · degree · pound · perch · pit · capital

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. land — ground
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. land — a country
  6. pit — in a race
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. perch — the fish
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. degree — from a university
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pit — a hole
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — a city
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. capital — money
  20. land — to come down
  21. pound — a weight
  22. degree — temperature
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bowl — a football final

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