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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · cue · row · last · dip · bat · arm · firm

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. cue — for pool
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bat — the animal
  5. last — final
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. firm — steady
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. row — to paddle
  13. scale — size or range
  14. last — to go on
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. scale — in music
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. dip — to sink
  21. row — a line
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. firm — a company
  24. last — finally

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