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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: kick · cue · pitch · capital · leaves · can · patient · perch

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cue — a hint
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cue — for pool
  10. can — a tin
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. kick — in football
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. perch — the fish
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pitch — completely
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. patient — a sick person

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