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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.

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: rush · pass · kick · coach · ball · cap · capital · perch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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. coach — a trainer
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rush — hurry
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. perch — the fish
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cap — of ice
  15. capital — money
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. capital — a city
  21. kick — in football
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pass — a permit
  24. rush — to hurry

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