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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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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: content · cap · last · pound · pitch · firm · fan · perch

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. cap — of ice
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. firm — a company
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. content — the amount
  14. last — to go on
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. firm — steady
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pound — a weight
  19. content — happy
  20. cap — a hat
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. cap — a lid

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