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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: temple · ground · field · charge · bowl · degree · capital · pit

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pit — in a race
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. field — a subject
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. degree — an amount
  13. charge — in control
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. field — farmland
  16. capital — money
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. degree — from a university
  22. field — for sport
  23. pit — a hole
  24. ground — the earth

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