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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.

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: rash · hide · fork · wake · cold · suit · bat · scale

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. scale — size or range
  3. rash — hasty
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. cold — an illness
  6. suit — clothes
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cold — not warm
  10. fork — in a road
  11. rash — a series
  12. suit — to fit
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. scale — in music
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bat — the animal
  21. wake — a trail
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. suit — in cards
  24. scale — for weighing

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