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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: object · date · content · bowl · swing · perch · land · board

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. board — a committee
  3. land — a country
  4. content — happy
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. swing — in golf
  7. land — ground
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. date — the fruit
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. swing — music
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. object — a thing
  17. board — to get on
  18. object — an aim
  19. content — the amount
  20. land — to come down
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. object — to protest

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