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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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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 · stick · cabinet · pitch · current · club · ground · cap

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. perch — the fish
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cap — of ice
  14. current — electric
  15. club — a group
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. ground — a position
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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