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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: pitch · cue · arm · leaves · bank · pitcher · rash · cold

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bank — of a river
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. cold — an illness
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bank — for money
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cold — not warm
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bank — for money
  24. rash — on the skin

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