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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: cell · degree · race · roll · saw · rest · track · mug

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. track — a song
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mug — a cup
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rest — a break
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mug — a face
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mug — to rob
  14. rest — what's left
  15. race — the arms race
  16. roll — a list
  17. saw — the tool
  18. race — a contest
  19. cell — a phone
  20. saw — the tool
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. roll — a cake
  24. cell — in biology

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