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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: mate · patient · snap · rash · last · pass · rest · court

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rash — hasty
  3. court — of a king
  4. last — finally
  5. pass — a permit
  6. court — of law
  7. last — to go on
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. rash — a series
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. snap — to click
  14. court — for sport
  15. mate — to breed
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. rest — a break
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mate — a partner
  23. last — final
  24. rest — what's left

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