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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: spring · ruler · pitcher · date · spell · mine · cue · game

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cue — a signal
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. date — the fruit
  9. spell — a short time
  10. game — a match
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cue — for pool
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. cue — a hint
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. spell — magic
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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