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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: pit · rest · rash · mouse · squash · tube · track · degree

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. squash — to crush
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rash — a series
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. degree — temperature
  12. rest — what's left
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. squash — the sport
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. rest — a break
  21. tube — a container
  22. track — a path
  23. rash — hasty
  24. pit — a hole

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