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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: spring · last · cue · firm · wound · safe · racket · game

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. game — wild animals
  3. spring — of water
  4. last — final
  5. firm — decided
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wound — an injury
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cue — for pool
  11. last — finally
  12. wound — an injury
  13. game — a match
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cue — a signal
  16. spring — a coil
  17. firm — a company
  18. cue — a hint
  19. firm — steady
  20. last — to go on
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. safe — out of danger

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