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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.

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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: wake · capital · pit · fall · pitch · cue · patient · temple

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pit — in a race
  5. cue — a hint
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cue — for pool
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pit — a hole
  14. capital — a city
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cue — a signal
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fall — the season
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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