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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. capital — a city
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. stand — to bear
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitch — completely
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. file — a document
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. ruler — a monarch

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