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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: game · staff · mine · bay · spring · row · hide · cue

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. spring — a coil
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. spring — the season
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. row — a line
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. game — a match
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. spring — of water
  20. staff — a stick
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cue — for pool
  23. game — wild animals
  24. hide — to keep secret

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