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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: season · mug · court · wave · net · chip · wake · last

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. last — to go on
  3. mug — to rob
  4. net — after costs
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. season — of the year
  13. chip — to eat
  14. season — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. court — of a king
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. court — for sport
  23. mug — a face
  24. court — of law

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