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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: date · rule · chip · rush · nail · chest · file · bay

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. chest — a box
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. chip — to eat
  11. file — a document
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. file — a tool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chip — for betting
  16. rule — government
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. rule — a law
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bay — a horse colour

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