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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: cue · mouse · game · stem · chest · net · object · bass

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  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. net — after costs
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — to protest
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bass — the fish
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cue — a hint
  8. net — in sport
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. game — wild animals
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. game — a match
  15. stem — to come from
  16. net — for catching
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. object — a thing
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bass — low music
  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