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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 120 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 · bear · capital · wound · season · cue · prune · safe

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. prune — to trim
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wound — an injury
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bear — the animal
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. capital — money
  15. cue — a signal
  16. season — in sport
  17. wound — an injury
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cue — a hint
  20. season — of the year
  21. capital — a city
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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