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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: rush · pit · degree · season · cell · scale · tube · track

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. tube — the underground
  4. scale — in music
  5. track — a song
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. degree — from a university
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — in a race
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. tube — a container
  16. season — of the year
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cell — a phone
  19. season — in sport
  20. pit — a hole
  21. cell — in biology
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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