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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: rule · pitcher · foot · straw · sharp · jam · roll · nail

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. roll — a cake
  4. rule — a law
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. foot — a measure
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. rule — government
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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