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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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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. branch — a division
  3. rule — a law
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. stock — shares
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bank — for money
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rule — government
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bank — of a river
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stock — goods
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. game — a match
  24. bank — for money

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