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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: spring · key · last · court · rule · stem · cue · content

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. last — finally
  4. rule — a law
  5. content — the amount
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. court — of law
  8. key — in music
  9. court — of a king
  10. content — happy
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cue — a signal
  14. stem — to come from
  15. spring — of water
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rule — government
  18. last — to go on
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cue — for pool
  21. court — for sport
  22. cue — a hint
  23. key — for a lock
  24. spring — the season

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