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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 124 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. rule — a law
  3. clip — a video
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. prune — to trim
  6. clip — for paper
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. club — for golf
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rule — government
  12. mark — a grade
  13. clip — to cut
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rock — music
  17. mark — a trace
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rock — a stone
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. club — for dancing
  22. prune — to trim
  23. club — a group
  24. stock — goods

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