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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
468
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: bulb · degree · staff · chair · club · pit · game · jam

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. club — a group
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pit — in a race
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bulb — for light
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bulb — for light
  9. staff — a stick
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. degree — from a university
  12. staff — employees
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. staff — employees
  16. club — for golf
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pit — a hole
  19. degree — temperature
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

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