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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 120 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: board · game · rash · cue · spring · bear · cap · land

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. spring — the season
  12. cue — for pool
  13. land — to come down
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rash — hasty
  16. board — to get on
  17. spring — of water
  18. cue — a signal
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. spring — a coil
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bear — to put up with

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