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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: jam · race · game · cell · craft · season · land · net

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. land — a country
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. cell — in biology
  7. race — humankind
  8. season — in sport
  9. game — a match
  10. race — the arms race
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. land — ground
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — a skill
  16. race — a contest
  17. craft — boats
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. land — to come down
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. net — for catching
  23. game — wild animals
  24. season — of the year

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