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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: wind · charge · vault · land · safe · pitcher · current · track

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. track — to keep track
  4. vault — a safe
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. land — a country
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wind — moving air
  13. current — electric
  14. charge — electricity
  15. track — a song
  16. current — of water
  17. current — happening now
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. land — to come down
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. charge — a price
  22. land — ground
  23. charge — in control
  24. track — a path

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