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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.

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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: ball · spring · bound · nail · club · dip · cell · cue

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bound — certain
  3. spring — the season
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cue — a signal
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. club — for golf
  11. cue — a hint
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. dip — to sink
  14. spring — of water
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. club — a group
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cell — in biology
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bound — obliged
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ball — a dance

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