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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. clip — for paper
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mate — a friend
  5. track — a song
  6. key — in music
  7. clip — a video
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — a law
  13. key — for a lock
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lean — thin
  16. prune — to trim
  17. key — the most important part
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. track — a path
  22. clip — to cut
  23. track — to keep track
  24. prune — the fruit

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