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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · chip · last · race · present · branch · rule · spell

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. race — a contest
  3. last — final
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. chip — to eat
  10. can — a tin
  11. rule — a law
  12. chip — for betting
  13. spell — letters
  14. race — humankind
  15. present — the time now
  16. race — the arms race
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. last — to go on
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. rule — government
  23. present — there
  24. last — finally

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