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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 120 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: stem · last · pass · rest · face · leaves · net · court

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. face — to point toward
  7. court — for sport
  8. face — part of the head
  9. last — final
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. stem — to come from
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. rest — what's left
  15. last — finally
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rest — a break
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. face — to confront
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pass — a permit
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. last — to go on
  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