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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: lash · scale · pit · wake · kid · dip · lie · ground

  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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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. pit — a hole
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. lie — to recline
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. scale — size or range
  10. kid — to tease
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. kid — child
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. dip — to sink
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pit — in a race
  23. ground — a position
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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