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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: snap · court · root · current · staff · content · temple · vault

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. root — of a plant
  3. court — for sport
  4. root — of a word
  5. snap — to click
  6. current — electric
  7. court — of law
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. vault — a safe
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. current — of water
  15. content — the amount
  16. root — the cause
  17. staff — employees
  18. content — happy
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. current — happening now
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. content — videos and posts

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