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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 116 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: scale · mouse · root · game · cue · fine · spring · bat

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. cue — a signal
  3. spring — a coil
  4. fine — all right
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. game — wild animals
  7. spring — the season
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — the cause
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bat — the animal
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. game — a match
  19. fine — high quality
  20. root — of a word
  21. cue — for pool
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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