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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: key · track · rush · tear · chest · cell · mate · hide

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. key — in music
  3. cell — in biology
  4. tear — from crying
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. tear — to rip
  7. chest — of your body
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mate — to breed
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. key — the most important part
  12. chest — a box
  13. rush — hurry
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. cell — a phone
  19. track — a path
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. track — a song
  22. key — for a lock
  23. chest — of your body
  24. tear — from crying

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