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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: saw · last · game · jam · land · fan · content · season

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. land — a country
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. game — a match
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. land — to come down
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. last — finally
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. last — final
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. land — ground
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. last — to go on
  23. game — wild animals
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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