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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: kick · face · ground · deal · staff · stick · pit · dip

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. face — to confront
  4. staff — employees
  5. pit — a hole
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pit — in a race
  9. kick — in football
  10. dip — to sink
  11. staff — employees
  12. face — to point toward
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. staff — a stick
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. ground — a position
  24. deal — to handle

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