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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: cue · plane · game · face · file · spring · sharp · ball

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. spring — a coil
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. face — to point toward
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. ball — a dance
  7. spring — the season
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. game — wild animals
  10. file — a line of people
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — a signal
  13. file — a document
  14. game — a match
  15. ball — a great time
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. spring — of water
  19. sharp — clever
  20. file — a tool
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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