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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: rule · pitch · mine · chip · bark · fall · rash · ground

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bark — to shout
  4. fall — the season
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. rash — hasty
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rule — government
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rash — a series
  19. rule — a law
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. pitch — completely

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