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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.

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: land · lie · net · mouse · ball · straw · deal · cold

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. land — ground
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cold — not warm
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. net — in sport
  8. lie — to recline
  9. ball — a great time
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. net — after costs
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. deal — to handle
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. land — a country
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. net — for catching
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cold — an illness
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. land — to come down
  24. deal — an agreement

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