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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. row — a line
  6. content — happy
  7. rock — a stone
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. sharp — clever
  11. row — to paddle
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rock — music
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pass — a permit
  17. saw — the tool
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. saw — the tool
  24. row — a quarrel

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