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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: perch · racket · capital · present · pass · rest · rash · cell

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pass — a permit
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rest — what's left
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. capital — a city
  15. present — the time now
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. perch — the fish
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — there
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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