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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: net · capital · cell · leaves · track · rush · bear · bat

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. net — after costs
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bear — the animal
  10. net — in sport
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. capital — money
  14. cell — a phone
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — a city
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bat — the animal
  22. net — for catching
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bat — in an idiom

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