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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: degree · rash · bore · season · pitch · swing · band · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. degree — an amount
  4. band — a ring
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bore — to drill
  8. rash — a series
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — a committee
  11. season — in sport
  12. swing — music
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. season — of the year
  16. band — a music group
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bore — to tire
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. swing — to play on
  22. pitch — completely
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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