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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: pound · last · net · degree · ball · firm · hand · lash

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pound — a weight
  7. last — to go on
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — decided
  14. hand — help
  15. last — finally
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. last — final
  22. degree — from a university
  23. net — after costs
  24. firm — a company

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