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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · mouse · leaves · last · chest · race · net · stem

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. net — for catching
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chest — a box
  8. stem — to come from
  9. race — a contest
  10. last — finally
  11. race — the arms race
  12. chest — of your body
  13. last — to go on
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. net — after costs
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. last — final
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. race — humankind
  23. net — in sport
  24. leaves — to go away

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