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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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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: ball · bear · spring · lash · pop · last · net · pitch

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. net — for catching
  5. last — finally
  6. pop — soda
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. net — in sport
  9. last — final
  10. pop — to visit
  11. ball — a great time
  12. net — after costs
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. last — to go on
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pop — music
  20. pitch — completely
  21. spring — the season
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. spring — of water

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