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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: game · chair · present · degree · dip · jam · land · stem

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. game — a match
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. degree — temperature
  7. present — the time now
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. present — there
  11. stem — to come from
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. land — to come down
  15. present — a gift
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. dip — to sink
  19. game — wild animals
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. degree — an amount
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — a professorship

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