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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: bear · land · drill · board · pitch · spring · temple · pit

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. pitch — completely
  3. land — a country
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. board — a committee
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bear — the animal
  8. land — to come down
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. drill — army training
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pit — a hole
  16. drill — the tool
  17. spring — the season
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. spring — of water
  24. land — ground

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