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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 116 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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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: march · pitch · rest · fall · leaves · cell · cue · cap

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cue — a signal
  4. rest — a break
  5. fall — the season
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. cap — of ice
  8. march — the month
  9. cap — a lid
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. cap — a hat
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pitch — completely
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. march — music
  17. cue — a hint
  18. rest — what's left
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. cue — for pool
  24. march — the month

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