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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: board · cold · jam · pitch · mine · date · temple · spell

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. board — a committee
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. board — to get on
  11. pitch — completely
  12. cold — an illness
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cold — not warm
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. spell — a short time
  19. date — the fruit
  20. spell — magic
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. spell — letters
  24. mine — for digging

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