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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 116 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: rest · track · kid · saw · rock · cell · lie · net

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. track — a song
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. track — to keep track
  7. cell — a phone
  8. rock — a stone
  9. net — in sport
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. track — a path
  15. rock — music
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rest — a break
  19. cell — in biology
  20. net — after costs
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. net — for catching
  24. lie — an untruth

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