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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: mouse · straw · firm · chest · wind · kid · stand · last

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. firm — a company
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. firm — steady
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. firm — decided
  11. last — to go on
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. stand — to bear
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wind — moving air
  20. last — final
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. last — finally
  23. chest — of your body
  24. straw — a straw man

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