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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: march · pitcher · stock · leaves · firm · perch · content · pass

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. firm — decided
  8. perch — the fish
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. content — the amount
  11. stock — shares
  12. pass — a permit
  13. firm — a company
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stock — goods
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. firm — steady
  22. content — happy
  23. march — the month
  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