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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: degree · cell · cabinet · pound · charge · mouse

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — electricity
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. charge — in control
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — a weight

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