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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: can · sharp · content · nail · wind · pitcher · row · arm

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. sharp — clever
  3. content — happy
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wind — moving air
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. can — a tin
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wind — moving air
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. can — to be able to
  18. row — to paddle
  19. content — the amount
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. can — a tin
  24. sharp — exactly

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