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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: toast · object · foot · pound · pitcher · cell · mate · sharp

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. object — an aim
  6. toast — bread
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. mate — to breed
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. foot — part of the body

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