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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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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: hide · firm · suit · roll · last · cold · bat · arm

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. last — final
  5. suit — in cards
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. last — to go on
  8. bat — the animal
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. roll — a cake
  11. firm — a company
  12. firm — decided
  13. last — finally
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. suit — clothes
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cold — an illness
  19. firm — steady
  20. roll — a list
  21. cold — not warm
  22. suit — to fit
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. hide — to keep secret

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