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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · capital · saw · pass · press · mate · stock · mine

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mine — for digging
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. stock — shares
  11. mate — to breed
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pass — a permit
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. press — a publisher
  22. stock — goods
  23. mate — a partner
  24. perch — for a bird

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