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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: chest · saw · lie · hand · mug · calf · charge · dip

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. chest — a box
  6. charge — in control
  7. mug — a face
  8. hand — in cards
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. hand — help
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mug — a cup
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chest — of your body
  20. dip — to sink
  21. chest — of your body
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mug — to rob
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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