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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: nail · lie · last · pound · ball · tear · toast · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. net — after costs
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. last — final
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. ball — a dance
  10. tear — from crying
  11. last — to go on
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. ball — a great time
  14. lie — to recline
  15. toast — bread
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. net — in sport
  18. tear — to rip
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pound — a weight
  22. tear — from crying
  23. last — finally
  24. pound — to hit hard

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