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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: clip · game · board · spring · bay · pitcher · present · cue

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. clip — a video
  3. spring — the season
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cue — for pool
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. board — a committee
  12. present — there
  13. spring — of water
  14. present — the time now
  15. board — to get on
  16. spring — a coil
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. present — a gift
  23. cue — a signal
  24. clip — for paper

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