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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: pit · straw · cap · sharp · fall · nail · roll · ground

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. fall — to drop
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. cap — of ice
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. ground — a position
  7. fall — the season
  8. cap — a hat
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. sharp — clever
  12. ground — the earth
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. roll — a list
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pit — a hole
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a cake
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pit — in a race

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