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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.

Make a worksheet

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: saw · board · kick · rash · degree · season · wind · current

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. saw — the tool
  4. degree — temperature
  5. board — to get on
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — in football
  8. rash — hasty
  9. saw — the tool
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. current — electric
  12. current — happening now
  13. wind — moving air
  14. current — of water
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rash — a series
  17. degree — from a university
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. season — of the year
  20. wind — moving air
  21. season — in sport
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. wind — to turn a key

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