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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: scale · march · spell · track · row · perch · game · content

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. scale — in music
  3. march — music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. content — the amount
  6. game — a match
  7. march — the month
  8. scale — size or range
  9. row — to paddle
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. march — the month
  18. perch — the fish
  19. game — wild animals
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. content — happy
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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