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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: wake · net · ground · rash · roll · charge · cabinet · press

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. net — for catching
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — in control
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. net — after costs
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. roll — a list
  13. ground — the earth
  14. charge — a price
  15. press — a publisher
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. roll — a cake
  20. rash — hasty
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. rash — a series
  24. net — in sport

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