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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: cue · spring · snap · bound · pitch · present · fine · key

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. snap — to click
  3. present — the time now
  4. spring — the season
  5. cue — for pool
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bound — tied together
  9. key — in music
  10. fine — high quality
  11. key — the most important part
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pitch — completely
  14. present — there
  15. bound — certain
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. spring — of water
  20. fine — all right
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. present — a gift
  23. bound — obliged
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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