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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 116 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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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: lie · mine · deal · band · game · net

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. net — in sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. game — wild animals
  6. band — a ring
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. game — a match
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. mine — for digging
  13. lie — to recline
  14. band — a music group
  15. deal — to handle
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. deal — an agreement

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