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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: safe · fork · chair · rule · plane · squash · shower · rock

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. chair — a leader
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — a tool
  14. squash — the sport
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rock — music
  17. shower — rain
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rule — a law
  20. shower — to wash
  21. squash — to crush
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rule — government
  24. rock — to move gently

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