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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: sharp · cap · ground · pit · toast · hand · kick · roll

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. ground — a position
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a lid
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. kick — in football
  9. toast — bread
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cap — a hat
  13. ground — the earth
  14. sharp — clever
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pit — in a race
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. hand — help
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. roll — a list
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ground — crushed
  24. roll — a cake

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