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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cell · court · vault · root · spell · staff · net · capital

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. net — in sport
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. net — after costs
  5. staff — employees
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. root — of a word
  9. spell — letters
  10. capital — money
  11. root — of a plant
  12. staff — employees
  13. root — the cause
  14. spell — magic
  15. court — of law
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. capital — a city
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cell — in biology
  20. court — for sport
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. net — for catching
  23. court — of a king
  24. staff — a stick

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