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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.

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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: cue · fall · pitch · fine · capital · content · lean · fork

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. content — the amount
  3. fine — all right
  4. cue — a hint
  5. lean — to bend
  6. content — happy
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pitch — completely
  10. fall — the season
  11. cue — for pool
  12. fine — high quality
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. cue — a signal
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. lean — thin
  23. fork — in a road
  24. capital — a big letter

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