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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: court · rest · bear · mouse · club · wave · last · cell

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. club — for golf
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. club — a group
  8. last — final
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. rest — a break
  17. last — to go on
  18. court — for sport
  19. rest — what's left
  20. court — of law
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cell — in biology
  24. court — of a king

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