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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: can · pit · kick · hand · temple · ground · dip · pop

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pop — music
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pop — soda
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pit — a hole
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ground — a position
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pit — in a race
  18. dip — to sink
  19. can — a tin
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. can — to be able to
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. can — a tin

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