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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: temple · leaves · drill · land · season · present · pitch · pit

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. present — the time now
  5. land — a country
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pitch — completely
  11. present — a gift
  12. land — ground
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pit — in a race
  15. drill — the tool
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. season — of the year
  18. present — there
  19. land — to come down
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. drill — army training

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