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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: rock · lie · bay · arm · wound · charge · chip · pitch

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. rock — music
  3. charge — electricity
  4. rock — a stone
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. charge — a price
  9. chip — for betting
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pitch — completely
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. chip — to eat
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. charge — in control
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. lie — to recline
  24. wound — an injury

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