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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
468
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: cell · saw · chest · bear · rush · degree · net · track

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. saw — the tool
  3. track — to keep track
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. track — a song
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. cell — in biology
  9. chest — a box
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. chest — of your body
  13. track — a path
  14. degree — an amount
  15. net — for catching
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. degree — from a university
  18. net — after costs
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. net — in sport
  22. cell — a phone
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rush — a thrill

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