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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. last — final
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. ball — a dance
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. last — finally
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. last — to go on
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. roll — a list
  18. fine — all right
  19. ball — a great time
  20. net — for catching
  21. rash — a series
  22. roll — a cake
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pound — a weight

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