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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: bass · cabinet · game · pop · roll · rush · press · fall

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. game — wild animals
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. press — a publisher
  6. rush — hurry
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bass — the fish
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. roll — a list
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. game — a match
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. press — to push
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bass — low music
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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