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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: bay · ground · chest · pitcher · rock · can · game · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rock — music
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. can — a tin
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. game — a match
  8. can — a tin
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. rock — a stone
  19. ground — crushed
  20. chest — a box
  21. ground — a position
  22. can — to be able to
  23. ground — the earth
  24. chest — of your body

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