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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
468
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: object · content · squash · arm · pitcher · board · net · drill

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. board — a committee
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. object — to protest
  10. net — for catching
  11. content — the amount
  12. board — to get on
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. drill — army training
  16. object — an aim
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. object — a thing
  20. drill — the tool
  21. squash — the sport
  22. content — happy
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. content — videos and posts

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