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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.

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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: fall · pitch · cabinet · cap · lie · perch · season · shower

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. lie — to recline
  3. season — in sport
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. cap — of ice
  11. season — of the year
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cap — a hat
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. lie — an untruth

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