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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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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: rash · branch · mark · game · march · bass · chip · ruler

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chip — to eat
  4. march — music
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. mark — a grade
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. game — a match
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. march — the month
  18. game — wild animals
  19. march — the month
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bass — low music
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a trace

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