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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pop — music
  3. race — the arms race
  4. clip — for paper
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cell — in biology
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cell — a phone
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. key — the most important part
  11. clip — a video
  12. pop — soda
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. clip — to cut
  15. race — a contest
  16. key — for a lock
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. prune — to trim
  19. key — in music
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pop — to visit
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. deal — to handle
  24. race — humankind

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