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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: court · nail · staff · last · net · spell · charge · mouse

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. court — for sport
  3. staff — employees
  4. spell — letters
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. spell — magic
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. staff — employees
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. charge — in control
  11. last — to go on
  12. charge — a price
  13. net — after costs
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. charge — electricity
  17. court — of a king
  18. staff — a stick
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. court — of law
  21. spell — a short time
  22. net — for catching
  23. last — finally
  24. net — in 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