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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: leaves · game · rule · stick · branch · field · chip · chair

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. game — wild animals
  4. field — a subject
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — a law
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. field — farmland
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. chip — to eat
  15. field — for sport
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. game — a match
  20. chair — a leader
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. branch — a division
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rule — to rule out

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