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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: chip · file · shower · key · pound · march · rush · rule

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. pound — a weight
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. key — for a lock
  5. rush — hurry
  6. shower — to wash
  7. march — the month
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. file — a line of people
  12. march — the month
  13. chip — to eat
  14. shower — rain
  15. rule — a law
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. rule — government
  22. chip — for betting
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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