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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: land · jam · bulb · game · object · date · row · staff

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bulb — for light
  7. object — an aim
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. row — a line
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. land — a country
  13. bulb — for light
  14. land — ground
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. staff — a stick
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. row — to paddle
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. object — a thing
  22. land — to come down
  23. object — to protest
  24. row — a quarrel

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