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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: toast · pitcher · pop · arm · file · scale · bay · cap

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. scale — size or range
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. pop — soda
  8. toast — bread
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pop — music
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. cap — a hat
  13. scale — in music
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pop — to visit
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. cap — a lid
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. arm — 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