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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: saw · chip · toast · degree · swing · bowl · season · band

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. chip — to eat
  2. swing — in golf
  3. degree — an amount
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. degree — from a university
  8. swing — to play on
  9. band — a ring
  10. season — of the year
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. season — in sport
  13. band — a music group
  14. chip — for betting
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. swing — music
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. saw — the tool
  22. toast — bread
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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