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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 · present · spring · cap · chair · deal · mine · degree

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cue — a signal
  3. spring — a coil
  4. deal — to handle
  5. cap — a lid
  6. spring — of water
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. present — there
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. degree — temperature
  11. cap — a hat
  12. spring — the season
  13. cue — for pool
  14. present — the time now
  15. degree — an amount
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. present — a gift
  21. cue — a hint
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. degree — from a university

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