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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: rest · land · mouse · court · last · can · jam · staff

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. rest — what's left
  4. can — a tin
  5. rest — what's left
  6. land — to come down
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. land — ground
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. staff — employees
  15. rest — a break
  16. last — finally
  17. staff — employees
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. staff — a stick
  22. land — a country
  23. court — of law
  24. mouse — the animal

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