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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: net · spring · deal · bulb · mug · fall · cue · game

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bulb — for light
  8. spring — of water
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. spring — the season
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. game — a match
  16. mug — a cup
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mug — a face
  19. net — in sport
  20. cue — a hint
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. net — for catching

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