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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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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: pitch · ground · kick · temple · lean · pit · kid · spring

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pitch — completely
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. spring — a coil
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. lean — thin
  12. spring — the season
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. spring — of water
  15. ground — a position
  16. pit — in a race
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kid — to tease
  22. ground — crushed
  23. lean — to bend
  24. kid — child

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