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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: roll · band · craft · net · last · ground · ball · snap

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. band — a ring
  4. last — final
  5. band — a music group
  6. last — finally
  7. net — for catching
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. ground — crushed
  10. craft — boats
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a great time
  13. roll — a cake
  14. ground — a position
  15. craft — a skill
  16. snap — to click
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ball — a dance
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. net — in sport
  22. roll — a list
  23. last — to go on
  24. band — a rubber band

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