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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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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: chair · rule · wake · shower · fork · vault

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. chair — a leader
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. vault — a safe
  9. shower — rain
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. rule — a law
  13. fork — in a road
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. rule — government
  17. wake — a trail
  18. shower — to wash

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