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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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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 · arm · wave · scale · bat · stick · cell · file

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. file — a document
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. file — a line of people
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. cell — a phone
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. scale — in music
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cell — in biology
  19. file — a tool
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bat — the animal
  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