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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: wave · court · pop · tear · mouse · last · mate · roll

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. court — of law
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. court — for sport
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. court — of a king
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. roll — a list
  15. pop — soda
  16. mate — to breed
  17. last — finally
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. tear — from crying
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. last — to go on
  24. mate — a partner

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