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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 116 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: drill · degree · kick · stem · last · chip · season · board

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. last — to go on
  3. season — of the year
  4. stem — to come from
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. last — finally
  7. degree — temperature
  8. board — to get on
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. board — a committee
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. degree — from a university
  13. last — final
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. drill — the tool
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — to eat
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. drill — a practice
  20. kick — in football
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. degree — an amount
  23. season — in sport
  24. kick — with a leg

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