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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 120 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: game · last · hide · saw · mate · fine · net · bark

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. net — for catching
  3. last — to go on
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. net — after costs
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. last — finally
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. fine — high quality
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bark — to shout
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mate — a partner
  19. last — final
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. net — in sport
  22. fine — all right
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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