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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: pop · press · lash · degree · drill · charge · rash · cell

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. press — newspapers
  3. charge — a price
  4. pop — music
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. charge — in control
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. drill — a practice
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rash — hasty
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. rash — a series
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pop — soda
  15. cell — a phone
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cell — in biology
  18. degree — an amount
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. press — to push
  21. press — a publisher
  22. drill — army training
  23. rash — on the skin
  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