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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: mate · chair · degree · mark · pit · land · season · kick

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mark — a trace
  4. pit — in a race
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mate — to breed
  8. land — to come down
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mark — a grade
  12. season — in sport
  13. land — a country
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. kick — in football
  16. land — ground
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. season — of the year
  20. mate — a friend
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pit — a hole
  24. degree — from a university

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