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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: hand · pound · ball · last · net · craft · season · mine

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. last — finally
  4. net — in sport
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. craft — boats
  9. pound — a weight
  10. mine — for digging
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. hand — help
  14. last — final
  15. season — of the year
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. hand — in cards
  21. season — in sport
  22. craft — a skill
  23. last — to go on
  24. hand — part of the body

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