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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. object — to protest
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. craft — boats
  8. lean — thin
  9. sharp — clever
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. lean — to bend
  12. prune — to trim
  13. craft — a skill
  14. prune — to trim
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. degree — from a university
  17. object — a thing
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. degree — an amount
  20. object — an aim
  21. stock — shares
  22. degree — temperature
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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