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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: content · rash · pitcher · craft · object · hand · roll · saw

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. object — to protest
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hand — help
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. content — happy
  7. roll — a cake
  8. object — an aim
  9. craft — a skill
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. object — a thing
  12. hand — in cards
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rash — a series
  16. content — the amount
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. craft — boats
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rash — hasty
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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