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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: swing · perch · mug · pitch · calf · band · rest · capital

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. band — a music group
  3. swing — in golf
  4. capital — money
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rest — a break
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. swing — to play on
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rest — what's left
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mug — a face
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. capital — a city
  15. band — a ring
  16. mug — to rob
  17. perch — the fish
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. swing — music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mug — a cup
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pitch — completely
  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