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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: present · can · pitcher · foot · content · sharp · hand · rest

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rest — a break
  3. present — there
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. content — happy
  7. can — a tin
  8. foot — a measure
  9. can — to be able to
  10. content — the amount
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rest — what's left
  15. can — a tin
  16. present — a gift
  17. rest — what's left
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. present — the time now
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. sharp — clever

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