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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: kick · chest · last · hand · stem · firm · bay · dip

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — steady
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. hand — help
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. hand — in cards
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. chest — a box
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. last — final
  22. dip — to sink
  23. firm — decided
  24. stem — of a plant

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