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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 120 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: last · net · court · snap · lie · cap · rest · wind

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. net — for catching
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. court — of a king
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wind — moving air
  9. net — after costs
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. last — to go on
  15. court — of law
  16. cap — a hat
  17. rest — what's left
  18. court — for sport
  19. rest — a break
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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