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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: roll · net · hide · field · mate · mark · saw · date

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mark — a trace
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mate — a friend
  6. roll — a cake
  7. field — farmland
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. net — after costs
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — to breed
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. net — in sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. roll — a list
  17. net — for catching
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. mark — a grade
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. saw — the tool
  23. date — the fruit
  24. field — for sport

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