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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. season — of the year
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cold — not warm
  7. stock — shares
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. season — in sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. charge — in control
  15. stock — goods
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. lie — to recline
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cold — an illness

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