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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: key · lean · last · net · wake · court · object · wave

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. object — a thing
  3. net — after costs
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. object — to protest
  7. court — of a king
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. net — for catching
  11. court — of law
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. lean — thin
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. object — an aim
  16. net — in sport
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wake — a trail
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. lean — to bend
  24. court — for sport

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