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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: content · perch · bat · scale · bound · track · drill · pit

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bound — tied together
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. perch — the fish
  10. track — a path
  11. pit — in a race
  12. content — the amount
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pit — a hole
  15. content — happy
  16. scale — in music
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bound — obliged
  22. track — a song
  23. bound — certain
  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