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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: season · chip · degree · bound · jam · swing · leaves · saw

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bound — certain
  4. swing — in golf
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bound — obliged
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. season — of the year
  13. swing — music
  14. degree — from a university
  15. saw — the tool
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. saw — the tool
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bound — tied together
  24. chip — for betting

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