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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: stick · pitcher · chest · foot · can · board · saw · straw

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. chest — of your body
  5. can — a tin
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. board — to get on
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. chest — of your body
  11. board — a committee
  12. chest — a box
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. can — a tin
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. foot — a measure
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. can — to be able to
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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