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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: game · land · bark · firm · rule · deal · pitch · branch

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. firm — steady
  3. pitch — completely
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. land — to come down
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. game — wild animals
  11. firm — a company
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. branch — a division
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rule — a law
  19. land — a country
  20. firm — decided
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. land — ground
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. branch — of a bank

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