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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.

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

Word bank: kick · capital · pitch · pass · perch · mate

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mate — a friend
  16. kick — in football
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pass — to spend time

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