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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.

Make a worksheet

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: chest · perch · pass · track · scale · bowl · mine · pitcher

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. track — to keep track
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. track — a song
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. track — a path
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. perch — the fish
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — a permit
  24. chest — a box

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