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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.

Make a worksheet

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: stand · foot · fall · pitcher · game · cue · capital · mine

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. mine — for digging
  4. cue — a hint
  5. stand — to bear
  6. game — wild animals
  7. capital — money
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cue — for pool
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. game — a match
  12. fall — to drop
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. capital — a city
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. cue — a signal
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. foot — a measure
  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