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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: lean · cue · swing · spring · ball · season · fine · arm

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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 — of water
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. season — of the year
  4. fine — all right
  5. swing — to play on
  6. cue — for pool
  7. lean — thin
  8. swing — in golf
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. swing — music
  12. ball — a dance
  13. spring — a coil
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cue — a signal
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. fine — high quality
  20. lean — to bend
  21. spring — the season
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. arm — part of the body
  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