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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: bat · stand · lash · cell · chair · firm · key · stick

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. key — in music
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. chair — a leader
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. key — the most important part
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — a company
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. stand — to bear
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. firm — steady
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. key — for a lock

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