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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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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: rest · cue · spring · wake · root · chip · key · court

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. root — of a word
  5. cue — for pool
  6. key — for a lock
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wake — a trail
  10. spring — of water
  11. court — of law
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. root — the cause
  14. key — the most important part
  15. cue — a signal
  16. key — in music
  17. chip — to eat
  18. spring — the season
  19. chip — for betting
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rest — what's left
  22. root — of a plant
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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