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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: cap · season · cell · present · scale · pitch · perch · rash

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. cell — a phone
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cap — a hat
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. perch — the fish
  8. season — in sport
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. present — there
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. scale — in music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cell — in biology
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. season — of the year
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. present — the time now
  23. cap — of ice
  24. present — a gift

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