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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: bark · bat · pit · net · rest · roll · hide · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pit — in a race
  9. rest — what's left
  10. net — after costs
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pit — a hole
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. roll — a cake
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. roll — a list
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. net — in sport
  20. bat — the animal
  21. net — for catching
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. rest — a break

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