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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: land · object · lie · wind · deal · last · mark · net

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. net — for catching
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wind — moving air
  10. object — to protest
  11. net — after costs
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mark — a trace
  18. lie — to recline
  19. object — an aim
  20. last — to go on
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. object — a thing
  23. deal — to handle
  24. net — in sport

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