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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: last · pit · hide · roll · face · spring · net · saw

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. saw — the tool
  7. last — final
  8. pit — in a race
  9. roll — a list
  10. face — to point toward
  11. net — in sport
  12. spring — the season
  13. face — to confront
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. face — part of the head
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pit — a hole
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. saw — the tool

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