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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: pit · degree · board · chip · calf · wind · season · last

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. last — final
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wind — moving air
  6. board — a committee
  7. season — in sport
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chip — to eat
  10. degree — from a university
  11. wind — moving air
  12. season — of the year
  13. pit — a hole
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. chip — for betting
  19. degree — temperature
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. wind — to turn a key

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