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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: toast · bay · pitch · arm · nail · club · content · lean

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. club — for dancing
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. toast — bread
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. club — a group
  17. content — the amount
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. pitch — completely
  21. club — for golf
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. arm — part of the body

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