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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: last · court · present · bowl · straw · roll · rest · jam

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. court — of law
  4. present — there
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. last — final
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. court — of a king
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. rest — what's left
  11. present — the time now
  12. roll — a cake
  13. last — finally
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. court — for sport
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. last — to go on
  22. present — a gift
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bowl — a dish

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