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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: charge · wind · vault · fork · ground · rule

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. vault — a safe
  4. rule — government
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rule — a law
  9. ground — crushed
  10. charge — a price
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fork — in a road
  13. ground — a position
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. charge — electricity
  16. ground — the earth
  17. wind — moving air
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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