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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 116 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rule — government
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. chip — to eat
  10. clip — to cut
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. craft — boats
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. craft — a skill
  16. stock — goods
  17. vault — a safe
  18. rule — a law
  19. chip — for betting
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. stock — shares

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