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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: fall · firm · lash · foot · row · last · pit · kid

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. last — finally
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. kid — to tease
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pit — a hole
  8. last — to go on
  9. row — to paddle
  10. last — final
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. row — a line
  13. pit — in a race
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. firm — decided
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. fall — the season
  19. foot — a measure
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. kid — child
  23. fall — to drop
  24. firm — steady

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