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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 · key · fall · mug · toast · club · branch · file

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. key — in music
  4. rule — a law
  5. mug — to rob
  6. club — for golf
  7. key — the most important part
  8. club — for dancing
  9. file — a tool
  10. branch — a division
  11. mug — a cup
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mug — a face
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. file — a document
  18. key — for a lock
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. toast — bread
  21. file — a line of people
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. club — a group
  24. fall — to drop

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