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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.

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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: charge · press · pitch · capital · mate · perch

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. charge — a price
  4. press — newspapers
  5. capital — money
  6. perch — the fish
  7. press — to push
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pitch — completely
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. mate — a partner
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mate — to breed
  17. capital — a city
  18. charge — in control

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