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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: cell · rash · net · date · track · bear · hide · deal

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. track — a song
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cell — a phone
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rash — hasty
  12. track — to keep track
  13. date — the fruit
  14. net — in sport
  15. rash — a series
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. track — a path
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. deal — to handle
  24. hide — to keep secret

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