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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: land · firm · cue · date · chair · present · spring · fall

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. present — a gift
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cue — for pool
  6. fall — to drop
  7. land — to come down
  8. fall — the season
  9. date — the fruit
  10. cue — a signal
  11. firm — steady
  12. land — ground
  13. spring — a coil
  14. firm — a company
  15. spring — the season
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. present — there
  19. present — the time now
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cue — a hint
  22. spring — of water
  23. firm — decided
  24. chair — a leader

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