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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: fine · stem · club · kid · pit · kick

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. club — a group
  3. stem — to come from
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. kid — to tease
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kick — in football
  11. club — for golf
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. pit — in a race
  14. kid — child
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. fine — high quality
  17. club — for dancing
  18. stem — a stem cell

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