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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: pass · tear · last · band · net · pop · roll · deal

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. pop — soda
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. last — to go on
  5. pass — a permit
  6. net — in sport
  7. tear — to rip
  8. roll — a list
  9. net — after costs
  10. last — finally
  11. pop — to visit
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. pop — music
  15. last — final
  16. net — for catching
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. deal — to handle
  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