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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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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: hide · suit · snap · bat · cold · mate · object · wound

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. object — an aim
  3. suit — clothes
  4. object — a thing
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wound — an injury
  11. suit — to fit
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. object — to protest
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. cold — an illness
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mate — a partner
  21. snap — to click
  22. mate — a friend
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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