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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: kick · wind · staff · stock · scale · rule · date · snap

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — in football
  3. stock — shares
  4. date — the fruit
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wind — moving air
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rule — government
  9. stock — goods
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. scale — size or range
  12. staff — employees
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wind — moving air
  15. staff — employees
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. scale — in music
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. staff — a stick
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. snap — to click
  23. rule — a law
  24. date — on the calendar

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