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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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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: capital · current · press · perch · stick · fall · pitch · charge

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. current — happening now
  2. press — a publisher
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. capital — money
  5. charge — electricity
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. charge — a price
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. press — to push
  13. pitch — completely
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. press — newspapers
  20. perch — the fish
  21. capital — a city
  22. charge — in control
  23. fall — the season
  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