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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: pitcher · toast · pass · content · arm · swing · tear · plane

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pass — a permit
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. plane — a tool
  12. swing — music
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. content — happy
  16. swing — to play on
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. swing — in golf
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. tear — to rip

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