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

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. toast — bread
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. tear — to rip
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rest — what's left
  13. kid — to tease
  14. tear — from crying
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fine — high quality
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rest — a break
  20. kid — child
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fine — all right

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