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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: staff · jam · rock · rest · pitch · sharp · bulb · date

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. rest — a break
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rock — music
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. sharp — clever
  10. date — the fruit
  11. staff — a stick
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. staff — employees
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bulb — for light

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