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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: squash · pit · leaves · march · date · chair · rule · safe

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — government
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pit — in a race
  18. squash — the sport
  19. date — the fruit
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. march — the month
  24. leaves — to go away

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