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

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. chest — of your body
  3. firm — decided
  4. stem — to come from
  5. club — for golf
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. firm — a company
  11. last — to go on
  12. club — a group
  13. chest — a box
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. last — finally
  19. club — for dancing
  20. last — final
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bat — the animal
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — a sauce

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