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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: mate · spring · file · clip · cue · game · deal · cabinet

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. spring — the season
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mate — to breed
  6. clip — a video
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. clip — for paper
  10. file — a line of people
  11. game — a match
  12. file — a document
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mate — a partner
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. game — wild animals
  19. file — a tool
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. clip — to cut

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