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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: swing · rule · sharp · kick · rest · stock · stick · bulb

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rule — government
  3. swing — to play on
  4. stock — goods
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bulb — for light
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. swing — in golf
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bulb — for light
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — a law
  20. swing — music
  21. stock — shares
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rest — what's left
  24. kick — in football

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