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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: arm · object · content · roll · bowl · cell · pitcher · row

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. object — an aim
  3. row — to paddle
  4. object — to protest
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. row — a line
  17. roll — a list
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. roll — a cake
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. object — a thing
  24. cell — in a prison

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