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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: pitch · fall · pound · leaves · pitcher · squash · land · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. land — a country
  4. squash — to crush
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. squash — the sport
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. fall — to drop
  10. land — ground
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. capital — a city
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. fall — the season
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fall — to drop
  24. land — to come down

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