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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: kick · hide · degree · cap · ground · can · dip · deal

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. ground — the earth
  4. can — a tin
  5. degree — temperature
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. ground — a position
  11. cap — a hat
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. deal — to handle
  14. cap — a lid
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. degree — an amount
  21. kick — in football
  22. degree — from a university
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — to dunk

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