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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. game — a match
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rule — government
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wound — an injury
  10. branch — a division
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — a trail
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. rule — a law
  24. game — wild animals

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