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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. net — after costs
  7. dip — to sink
  8. net — in sport
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. net — for catching
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. pitch — completely
  18. date — on the calendar

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