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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: can · club · mark · kick · wake · hide · pit · mate

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mark — a trace
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pit — a hole
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for golf
  13. pit — in a race
  14. kick — in football
  15. can — a tin
  16. mate — a friend
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. mate — to breed
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. mark — a grade
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wake — a trail
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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