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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 · bat · squash · hand · trunk · arm · fan · ball

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — clothes
  8. suit — in cards
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. ball — a great time
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bat — the animal
  16. ball — a dance
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. squash — the sport
  22. hand — in cards
  23. squash — to crush
  24. fan — a supporter

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