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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 116 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: fine · club · stick · drill · firm · straw · kid · cell

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. club — for golf
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. kid — child
  7. drill — the tool
  8. firm — a company
  9. kid — to tease
  10. firm — decided
  11. drill — army training
  12. cell — a phone
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. club — for dancing
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fine — high quality
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. fine — all right
  22. club — a group
  23. firm — steady
  24. cell — in biology

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