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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: cabinet · staff · stick · capital · bat · perch · rule · coach

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rule — government
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. staff — employees
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. staff — employees
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. capital — a city
  16. perch — the fish
  17. rule — a law
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. capital — money
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bat — the animal
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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