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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 120 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rush — hurry
  4. spell — magic
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wound — an injury
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rule — a law
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rule — government
  19. chip — to eat
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. board — a committee
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — help
  24. chip — for betting

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