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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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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: bear · bowl · mate · firm · net · lash · last · deal

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mate — to breed
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. net — after costs
  7. last — to go on
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bear — the animal
  10. firm — decided
  11. last — final
  12. bear — the animal
  13. firm — steady
  14. last — finally
  15. net — in sport
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. deal — to handle
  24. net — for catching

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