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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: net · face · temple · pass · capital · chest · roll · pitch

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pass — a permit
  3. face — to point toward
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. roll — a list
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. capital — money
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. capital — a city
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. net — in sport
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. chest — of your body
  17. face — to confront
  18. roll — a cake
  19. net — for catching
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. net — after costs
  23. chest — a box
  24. pitch — completely

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