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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: kid · date · mark · press · bulb · game · cue · spring

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. press — newspapers
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. press — to push
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — a trace
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. spring — the season
  10. cue — a signal
  11. spring — of water
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. kid — child
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bulb — for light
  22. spring — a coil
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bulb — for light

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