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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 120 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: press · chest · bowl · stock · charge · cell · ball · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stock — shares
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cell — in biology
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. chest — a box
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — electricity
  14. chest — of your body
  15. press — a publisher
  16. fall — to drop
  17. charge — in control
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. press — newspapers
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. stock — goods
  23. ball — a dance
  24. press — to push

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