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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: roll · last · wake · swing · wound · court · wave · rest

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. court — of a king
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. swing — in golf
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. roll — a list
  9. last — to go on
  10. swing — music
  11. wake — a trail
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. wound — an injury
  14. roll — a cake
  15. last — final
  16. rest — a break
  17. court — of law
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. court — for sport
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. last — finally
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. rest — what's left

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