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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: sharp · saw · stem · pitcher · race · content · mine · mouse

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. content — the amount
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. race — a contest
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. content — happy
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. saw — the tool
  16. race — the arms race
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. race — humankind
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. sharp — clever
  24. saw — the tool

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