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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: chip · court · bulb · stock · fan · wake · kick · fall

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. fall — to drop
  7. court — of law
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. fall — the season
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — to eat
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. kick — in football
  24. wake — a trail

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