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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: race · spring · bound · racket · cue · bowl · cold · mate

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cue — a signal
  3. mate — a partner
  4. spring — of water
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. race — humankind
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — certain
  13. cue — for pool
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. mate — to breed
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — the arms race
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cold — an illness
  23. spring — the season
  24. cue — a hint

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