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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.

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 · fine · bay · foot · ground · cue · perch · march

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. ground — a position
  3. cue — a signal
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. cue — for pool
  7. march — the month
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. ground — crushed
  10. cue — a hint
  11. perch — the fish
  12. march — music
  13. fine — high quality
  14. march — the month
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. spring — the season
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. spring — of water
  19. fine — all right
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. ground — the earth

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