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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.

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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: last · ball · net · face · bay · bear · season · ground

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. last — finally
  3. season — in sport
  4. ground — the earth
  5. season — of the year
  6. net — for catching
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bear — the animal
  9. last — to go on
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. ball — a dance
  14. net — in sport
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bear — the animal
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. face — to confront
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. face — to point toward
  21. ground — a position
  22. last — final
  23. ground — crushed
  24. face — part of the head

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