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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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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: game · cap · court · object · snap · rock · rest · chest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. game — a match
  3. object — to protest
  4. game — wild animals
  5. court — for sport
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rest — a break
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rest — what's left
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to click
  13. object — a thing
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. cap — a hat
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music
  19. chest — of your body
  20. court — of law
  21. rock — a stone
  22. court — of a king
  23. object — an aim
  24. cap — of ice

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