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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 · temple · field · march · pitcher · board · mine · arm

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. capital — money
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. march — music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. field — a subject
  15. mine — for digging
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. march — the month
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — to get on
  24. march — the month

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