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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: suit · vault · clip · charge · root · mate · lean · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. root — of a plant
  3. charge — a price
  4. suit — in cards
  5. charge — electricity
  6. root — the cause
  7. mate — a partner
  8. clip — a video
  9. court — for sport
  10. lean — thin
  11. charge — in control
  12. court — of a king
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mate — a friend
  16. suit — to fit
  17. lean — to bend
  18. suit — clothes
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. vault — a safe
  21. clip — for paper
  22. mate — to breed
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. root — of a word

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