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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · arm · bay · hide · saw · patient · spell · roll

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spell — letters
  4. bat — the animal
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. saw — the tool
  9. spell — magic
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. roll — a list
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. roll — a cake

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