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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 120 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: mate · present · bat · firm · stick · kick · lash · club

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — a company
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bat — the animal
  6. present — the time now
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. present — a gift
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. club — for golf
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — a partner
  14. kick — in football
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. present — there
  18. club — a group
  19. mate — to breed
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. firm — decided
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. kick — a thrill

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