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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: pound · capital · press · jam · row · perch · bat · charge

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. charge — a price
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. press — a publisher
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. press — to push
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. perch — the fish
  13. capital — money
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. pound — a weight
  19. charge — in control
  20. capital — a city
  21. charge — electricity
  22. press — newspapers
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pound — for dogs

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