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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: capital · rush · pit · roll · snap · temple · field · mark

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. snap — to click
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. rush — hurry
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mark — a trace
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mark — a grade
  14. field — a subject
  15. roll — a list
  16. capital — money
  17. roll — a cake
  18. capital — a city
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pit — a hole
  24. rush — a thrill

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