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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: fine · spring · bore · trunk · cue · kid · chair · toast

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. spring — of water
  5. toast — bread
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cue — a hint
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. kid — child
  11. spring — a coil
  12. cue — a signal
  13. kid — to tease
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. spring — the season
  17. chair — a leader
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. bore — to tire
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. cue — for pool

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