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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: game · ball · board · stock · spring · cue · mark · foot

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. spring — the season
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. board — a committee
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cue — a signal
  9. mark — a grade
  10. game — wild animals
  11. foot — a measure
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. stock — goods
  16. game — a match
  17. cue — for pool
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. spring — of water
  20. board — to get on
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. stock — shares
  24. cue — a hint

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