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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 124 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: cue · roll · court · chair · spring · bank · root · deal

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. root — the cause
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bank — for money
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. spring — a coil
  7. root — of a plant
  8. cue — a signal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. chair — a leader
  11. deal — to handle
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bank — for money
  15. court — for sport
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. court — of law
  18. spring — of water
  19. root — of a word
  20. spring — the season
  21. roll — a list
  22. bank — of a river
  23. court — of a king
  24. cue — a hint

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