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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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Word bank
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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 · suit · lean · court · stem · land · kick

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. kick — in football
  3. rule — government
  4. land — a country
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. land — ground
  9. stem — to come from
  10. land — to come down
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. suit — to fit
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. rule — a law
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. court — of a king
  17. stock — shares
  18. court — for sport
  19. suit — clothes
  20. lean — thin
  21. court — of law
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. stock — goods

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