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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 116 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: mouse · cell · key · net · rest · row · pound · last

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — in music
  8. cell — a phone
  9. rest — what's left
  10. net — in sport
  11. last — finally
  12. net — for catching
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. key — the most important part
  21. row — to paddle
  22. cell — in biology
  23. rest — a break
  24. net — after costs

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