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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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Word bank
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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: bat · hand · mouse · scale · saw · snap

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. snap — to click
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. scale — in music

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