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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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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: foot · swing · bear · roll · pound · march · board · perch

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  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. march — the month
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. march — the month
  6. roll — a cake
  7. swing — music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pound — a weight
  12. roll — a list
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. march — music
  18. board — a committee
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. perch — the fish
  21. board — to get on
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. roll — on a roll
  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