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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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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 · straw · march · present · capital · vault · pitch · lie

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. lie — to recline
  4. perch — the fish
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. capital — money
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. march — the month
  15. vault — a safe
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. capital — a city
  18. present — there
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. present — a gift
  21. march — music
  22. present — the time now
  23. march — the month
  24. pitch — completely

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