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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: scale · chest · arm · suit · squash · bat · perch · club

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. scale — size or range
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — the animal
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. suit — in cards
  11. scale — in music
  12. suit — clothes
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. squash — the sport
  17. perch — the fish
  18. suit — to fit
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chest — a box
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. club — for golf
  24. arm — part of the body

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