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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: ball · pitcher · sharp · snap · roll · foot · mug · hand

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. roll — a cake
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. foot — a measure
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. ball — a dance
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a face
  14. snap — to click
  15. roll — a list
  16. sharp — clever
  17. ball — a great time
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mug — a cup
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. roll — on a roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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