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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 116 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: spring · fine · bay · cue · bound · cold · pit · ground

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. pit — in a race
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cue — a signal
  4. ground — a position
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. fine — all right
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. spring — a coil
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bound — certain
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pit — a hole
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bound — tied together
  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