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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 · roll · bound · clip · firm · spring · chip · face

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — decided
  3. cue — for pool
  4. spring — the season
  5. face — part of the head
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cue — a signal
  8. spring — of water
  9. clip — to cut
  10. chip — for betting
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bound — certain
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. roll — a cake
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bound — tied together
  18. firm — steady
  19. face — to confront
  20. roll — a list
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bound — obliged
  23. clip — a video
  24. spring — a coil

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