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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 120 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: pitcher · scale · perch · fan · march · content · bass · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. perch — the fish
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. staff — employees
  6. march — the month
  7. content — the amount
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. march — music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. content — happy
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. staff — employees
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bass — low music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. march — the month
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. scale — in music
  24. bass — the instrument

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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