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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: cell · fall · bass · degree · cabinet · straw · charge · press

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — low music
  3. degree — from a university
  4. charge — in control
  5. fall — the season
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. degree — temperature
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. charge — a price
  14. press — newspapers
  15. charge — electricity
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. degree — an amount
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cell — a phone
  22. fall — to drop
  23. press — to push
  24. cell — in biology

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