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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
468
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: hide · kick · net · pit · wake · dip · fan · march

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. kick — in football
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. net — for catching
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wake — a trail
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. dip — to sink
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. march — music
  23. pit — a hole
  24. fan — a supporter

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