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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: face · pass · temple · field · capital · mouse · firm · pitcher

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. firm — steady
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. firm — decided
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pass — a permit
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. face — to confront
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. field — for sport
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. face — part of the head
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. firm — a company
  24. face — to point toward

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