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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
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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: chest · perch · hide · pit · content · track · current · band

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. track — a song
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. content — the amount
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — in a race
  7. band — a music group
  8. track — a path
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. content — happy
  13. track — to keep track
  14. chest — of your body
  15. current — electric
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. current — of water
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. current — happening now
  22. band — a ring
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. band — a rubber band

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