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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 120 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: drill · pitch · lean · press · hide · capital · key · perch

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. press — to push
  4. pitch — completely
  5. drill — a practice
  6. press — a publisher
  7. lean — to bend
  8. capital — a city
  9. key — in music
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. key — the most important part
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. lean — thin
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. press — newspapers
  20. key — for a lock
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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