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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rest — what's left
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. cue — a signal
  7. snap — to click
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. cue — for pool
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rest — what's left
  14. spring — of water
  15. mine — for digging
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cue — a hint
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rest — a break
  20. game — wild animals
  21. spring — the season
  22. bear — the animal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bear — the animal

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