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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: bat · cell · jam · rest · arm · suit · trunk · march

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bat — the animal
  5. cell — a phone
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. suit — clothes
  8. rest — what's left
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. march — music
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. suit — to fit
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. suit — in cards
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. march — the month
  22. cell — in biology
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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