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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 · roll · bat · pit · wax · rash · degree

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. roll — a list
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rash — a series
  8. pit — in a race
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wax — to grow
  11. degree — an amount
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pit — a hole
  20. degree — from a university
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — on a roll

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