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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rush · land · pitcher · leaves · content · arm · track · can

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rush — hurry
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — happy
  5. land — a country
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. track — a path
  12. land — to come down
  13. track — to keep track
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. track — a song
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. can — to be able to
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. land — ground
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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