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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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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: tear · charge · vault · court · plane · fork · chair · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. tear — to rip
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. tear — from crying
  5. court — for sport
  6. fork — in a road
  7. plane — a tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. chair — a leader
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. vault — a safe
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — electricity
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. tear — from crying
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. charge — in control

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