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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: net · tear · rash · hide · bark · pit · pass · club

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. club — for golf
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. club — a group
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. rash — a series
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. net — in sport
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pass — a permit
  21. rash — hasty
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. tear — from crying

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