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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · pitch · hide · wound · scale · capital · perch · can

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitch — completely
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. content — the amount
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. capital — money
  11. perch — the fish
  12. can — a tin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. scale — in music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wound — an injury
  17. content — happy
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. can — to be able to
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. can — a tin
  24. perch — for a bird

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