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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 120 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: suit · land · hide · bat · press · game · snap · arm

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bat — the animal
  4. press — to push
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. snap — to click
  7. land — a country
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. game — wild animals
  10. suit — clothes
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. game — a match
  13. press — a publisher
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. press — newspapers
  19. suit — in cards
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bat — in an idiom

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