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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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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: squash · cell · cabinet · vault · chest · degree · press · mouse

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. degree — from a university
  3. squash — the sport
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. degree — an amount
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cell — in biology
  10. press — newspapers
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. squash — to crush
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. degree — temperature
  17. press — a publisher
  18. cell — a phone
  19. press — to push
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. chest — of your body
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. vault — a safe

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