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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: cell · pound · nail · arm · pitcher · saw · chip · key

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. key — for a lock
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. cell — in biology
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chip — to eat
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — a weight
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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