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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: row · jam · date · cell · stick · sharp · bear · land

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. land — ground
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cell — in biology
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. land — to come down
  16. bear — the animal
  17. row — to paddle
  18. land — a country
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. row — a line
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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