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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 · game · racket · pop · rock · fall · branch · firm

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. pop — to visit
  3. firm — a company
  4. fall — to drop
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. firm — decided
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pop — music
  10. rock — music
  11. fall — the season
  12. firm — steady
  13. rule — a law
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. branch — a division
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pop — soda
  19. rock — a stone
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. fall — to drop
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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