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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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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: plane · pitcher · content · mouse · cell · rest · bay · arm

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. content — happy
  3. cell — in biology
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. rest — a break
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. rest — what's left
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. content — the amount
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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