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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: perch · lean · mate · arm · capital · rush · pitch · mouse

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. capital — a city
  6. lean — thin
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pitch — completely
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mate — to breed
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. lean — to bend
  17. capital — money
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. perch — the fish
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mate — a partner

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