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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: cap · pit · ground · stick · hide · net

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. ground — the earth
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cap — of ice
  6. ground — a position
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pit — a hole
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. net — in sport
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. ground — crushed

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