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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · wound · cap · object · pit · game · hand · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. object — an aim
  9. wound — an injury
  10. object — a thing
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wound — an injury
  13. key — in music
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pit — a hole
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. cap — a lid
  22. object — to protest
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cap — of ice

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