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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: key · press · rule · cell · charge · trunk

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. charge — electricity
  3. press — newspapers
  4. charge — a price
  5. rule — a law
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rule — government
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cell — a phone
  12. charge — in control
  13. key — the most important part
  14. cell — in biology
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. press — to push
  18. key — in music

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