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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 120 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: saw · pitcher · racket · lean · ground · arm · cell · rule

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ground — the earth
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — thin
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. rule — government
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cell — a phone
  13. ground — a position
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cell — in biology
  20. lean — to bend
  21. rule — a law
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. ground — crushed

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