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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 · staff · stick · cabinet · pitch · foot · tube · press

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. staff — employees
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. tube — the underground
  6. press — newspapers
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. perch — the fish
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tube — a container
  13. press — a publisher
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. staff — a stick
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. press — to push
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. foot — a measure
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. staff — employees
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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