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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: pass · racket · present · perch · cabinet · prune · capital · date

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. capital — money
  4. prune — to trim
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. date — the fruit
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. present — there
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. present — a gift
  16. prune — to trim
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. present — the time now
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. capital — a city
  24. pass — a permit

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