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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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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: rule · chest · file · toast · club · arm

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. file — a line of people
  3. chest — of your body
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. file — a document
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. chest — a box
  9. club — a group
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. rule — government
  13. club — for golf
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rule — a law
  16. toast — bread
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. file — a tool

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