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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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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: content · lash · net · club · row · pound · face · deal

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — for dancing
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. net — in sport
  5. row — a line
  6. content — happy
  7. net — for catching
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. deal — to handle
  11. content — the amount
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. pound — a weight
  14. row — to paddle
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. net — after costs
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. club — a group

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