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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: mate · wake · ball · hand · pit · lie · lash · net

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. net — for catching
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mate — a partner
  5. net — after costs
  6. ball — a great time
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mate — to breed
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. ball — a dance
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. pit — a hole
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. net — in sport
  17. wake — a trail
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pit — in a race
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. hand — in cards
  24. lie — an untruth

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