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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: row · nail · arm · bark · court · scale · sharp · pitcher

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. row — a line
  4. scale — in music
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. court — of a king
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. scale — size or range
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. court — of law
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. court — for sport
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. row — a quarrel

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