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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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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: charge · cell · fall · staff · rest · board · swing · bass

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fall — to drop
  4. charge — a price
  5. swing — to play on
  6. board — to get on
  7. rest — a break
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cell — a phone
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bass — low music
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fall — the season
  19. swing — music
  20. board — a committee
  21. staff — employees
  22. fall — to drop
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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