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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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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: arm · chip · fork · hand · snap · rule · branch · rash

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — a law
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. chip — to eat
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rash — a series
  7. branch — a division
  8. snap — to click
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. hand — in cards
  13. fork — in a road
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. hand — help
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rule — government
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. chip — for betting

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