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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: board · mine · foot · perch · date · spell · rule · swing

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. spell — magic
  3. rule — a law
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. spell — letters
  8. board — a committee
  9. foot — a measure
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. swing — in golf
  15. perch — the fish
  16. spell — a short time
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rule — government
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. board — to get on
  24. mine — belonging to me

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