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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. fine — all right
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. rule — government
  7. fine — high quality
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. net — in sport
  12. degree — temperature
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bank — of a river
  15. branch — a division
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bank — for money
  18. game — wild animals
  19. net — after costs
  20. bank — for money
  21. game — a match
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — a law

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