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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.

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 · bowl · drill · land · season · temple · present · pit

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. season — of the year
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. land — a country
  8. track — a song
  9. drill — the tool
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. season — in sport
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. land — to come down
  19. present — there
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. land — ground
  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