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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stock — goods
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. charge — electricity
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. file — a document
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. charge — a price
  11. chair — a leader
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wound — an injury
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wound — an injury
  19. file — a tool
  20. stock — shares
  21. mine — for digging
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. lie — to recline
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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