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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: shower · hide · cold · pit · net · safe · date · saw

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. net — in sport
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. saw — the tool
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. cold — not warm
  10. shower — rain
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. pit — a hole
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cold — an illness
  21. saw — the tool
  22. net — for catching
  23. pit — in a race
  24. safe — out of danger

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