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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 116 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: bound · racket · land · march · swing · content · pit · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. land — a country
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. content — happy
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pit — a hole
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. march — the month
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. land — ground
  13. march — the month
  14. bound — certain
  15. pit — in a race
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bound — obliged
  22. content — the amount
  23. land — to come down
  24. march — music

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