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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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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: rock · sharp · row · staff · pitcher · saw · face · foot

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. staff — employees
  10. rock — a stone
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. staff — a stick
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. row — to paddle
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. face — part of the head
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — a measure
  24. pitcher — a jug

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