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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 120 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: deal · cue · club · can · spring · cabinet · ground · game

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. can — to be able to
  4. game — wild animals
  5. ground — the earth
  6. spring — the season
  7. game — a match
  8. can — a tin
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. ground — a position
  12. club — for golf
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. club — a group
  15. spring — a coil
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cue — a signal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. club — for dancing
  22. spring — of water
  23. ground — crushed
  24. deal — to handle

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