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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pit · date · staff · hide · bowl · net · rash · land

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. staff — a stick
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. land — ground
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rash — a series
  13. land — a country
  14. staff — employees
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — in a race
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. staff — employees
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — in sport
  21. land — to come down
  22. net — after costs
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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