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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: kick · saw · wave · bat · stand · stick · firm · key

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stand — to bear
  4. key — for a lock
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. kick — in football
  11. key — the most important part
  12. firm — decided
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. firm — steady
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bat — the animal
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. key — in music
  24. firm — a company

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