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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 116 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 · squash · land · last · bank · stick · suit

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. bank — for money
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. land — ground
  5. suit — in cards
  6. last — to go on
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bank — for money
  11. cell — in biology
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. land — a country
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bank — of a river
  17. squash — to crush
  18. suit — clothes
  19. land — to come down
  20. suit — to fit
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. last — final
  23. bat — the animal
  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