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

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — in control
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mug — a face
  8. charge — a price
  9. bound — obliged
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bound — certain
  13. squash — the sport
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mug — to rob
  17. stock — shares
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stock — goods
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mug — a cup
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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