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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fan · bowl · toast · jam · cue · current · cold

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  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. cue — a signal
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. spring — of water
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. current — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cue — for pool
  11. current — happening now
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. spring — the season
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. cold — not warm
  21. current — electric
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. toast — bread
  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