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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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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: shower · coach · bass · perch · stock · pitch · capital · cabinet

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. shower — rain
  3. stock — shares
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. capital — money
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. shower — to wash
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. stock — goods
  22. capital — a city
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. coach — a trainer

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