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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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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: snap · root · chip · cue · club · capital · trunk · court

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a word
  4. club — for golf
  5. capital — a city
  6. club — for dancing
  7. chip — for betting
  8. root — of a plant
  9. chip — to eat
  10. club — a group
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. court — of law
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. court — of a king
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cue — a hint
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — money
  19. court — for sport
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. snap — to click
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cue — for pool

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