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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: mate · season · cue · spring · chair · firm · mine · ground

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. firm — steady
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mine — for digging
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. season — of the year
  8. mate — a partner
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mate — a friend
  11. spring — a coil
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cue — for pool
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. ground — crushed
  17. spring — the season
  18. ground — a position
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. season — in sport
  21. mate — to breed
  22. firm — a company
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. firm — decided

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