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

Word bank: stock · rule · fork · kick · swing · spell

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. fork — in a road
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. stock — goods
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rule — government
  8. kick — in football
  9. rule — a law
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. swing — to play on
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. swing — in golf
  14. stock — shares
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. spell — magic
  18. kick — with a leg

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