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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: content · swing · staff · pit · pitcher · perch · march · rest

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — music
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pit — a hole
  7. staff — employees
  8. swing — to play on
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. march — the month
  11. rest — a break
  12. staff — a stick
  13. perch — the fish
  14. rest — what's left
  15. march — the month
  16. content — the amount
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. content — happy
  20. pit — in a race
  21. march — music
  22. rest — what's left
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. staff — employees

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