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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: suit · mate · scale · hand · arm · bat · ground · straw

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bat — the animal
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. scale — size or range
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. ground — the earth
  12. hand — in cards
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. suit — in cards
  15. scale — in music
  16. hand — help
  17. ground — a position
  18. suit — clothes
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. suit — to fit
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bat — for baseball

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