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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: pass · march · pitch · root · content · perch · drill · file

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. pass — a permit
  5. root — the cause
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. perch — the fish
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. file — a document
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. file — a tool
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pitch — completely
  18. content — happy
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. root — of a word
  21. drill — the tool
  22. march — the month
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. file — a line of people

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