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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: chest · field · pass · land · pit · bore · temple · capital

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. field — a subject
  5. bore — to drill
  6. chest — a box
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. land — to come down
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pass — a permit
  15. field — for sport
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pit — a hole
  18. chest — of your body
  19. capital — a city
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bore — to tire
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. field — farmland
  24. capital — money

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