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

Word bank: leaves · perch · capital · pitch · pound · chair

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. perch — the fish
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. chair — a leader
  5. capital — money
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pound — a weight
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. capital — a city
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. pitch — a sports field

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