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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: cue · season · temple · root · firm · last · mate · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. season — of the year
  3. firm — steady
  4. mate — to breed
  5. root — the cause
  6. season — in sport
  7. root — of a word
  8. pitch — completely
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. firm — a company
  11. root — of a plant
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cue — a signal
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. firm — decided
  17. mate — a partner
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. cue — for pool
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. cue — a hint
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. last — 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