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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: deal · foot · sharp · pound · stand · pit · wound · roll

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pit — in a race
  3. stand — to bear
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pit — a hole
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. roll — a list
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. deal — to handle
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. roll — a cake
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. stand — on your feet

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