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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: fall · land · arm · track · pitch · cue · can · capital

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. capital — a city
  3. track — a song
  4. land — to come down
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fall — to drop
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cue — a signal
  9. capital — money
  10. fall — to drop
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. track — to keep track
  14. fall — the season
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. track — a path
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. cue — for pool
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. arm — a part of something

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