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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 · pound · leaves · capital · game · press · season · pitch

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. press — newspapers
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. kick — in football
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. season — in sport
  16. press — to push
  17. game — wild animals
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. season — of the year
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. press — a publisher
  24. pitch — completely

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