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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: plane · field · charge · saw · chair · vault · foot · fall

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. saw — the tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. field — farmland
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — a tool
  8. vault — a safe
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. field — a subject
  12. saw — the tool
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. foot — a measure
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. fall — to drop
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. charge — in control
  22. field — for sport
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — a price

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