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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: jam · degree · firm · land · game · chip · swing · stem

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. game — a match
  3. land — ground
  4. swing — music
  5. firm — a company
  6. stem — to come from
  7. land — to come down
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. firm — steady
  10. chip — for betting
  11. degree — an amount
  12. land — a country
  13. firm — decided
  14. degree — from a university
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. degree — temperature
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. swing — to play on
  20. chip — to eat
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. game — wild animals
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. swing — in golf

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