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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: lie · dip · squash · charge · chair · stick · pound · march

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. charge — electricity
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. charge — a price
  17. march — music
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pound — a weight
  20. charge — in control
  21. march — the month
  22. dip — to sink
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. march — the month

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