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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: rest · bear · pitch · pit · lie · ground · roll · sharp

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. roll — a list
  3. ground — a position
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. rest — a break
  6. ground — crushed
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — completely
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rest — what's left
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. roll — a cake
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rest — what's left
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pit — a hole

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