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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: rush · toast · arm · squash · land · object · mine · charge

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. object — a thing
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. object — to protest
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. land — a country
  11. object — an aim
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. charge — in control
  15. toast — bread
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. rush — hurry
  21. land — to come down
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. land — ground

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