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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: capital · bank · perch · lash · hide · file · pitch · content

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pitch — completely
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. file — a tool
  8. perch — the fish
  9. content — the amount
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bank — of a river
  12. file — a line of people
  13. content — happy
  14. capital — money
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — a city
  19. bank — for money
  20. file — a document
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bank — for money

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