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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: court · foot · toast · file · current · bat · chip · arm

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. court — of a king
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. current — electric
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. current — happening now
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. court — of law
  11. file — a line of people
  12. court — for sport
  13. chip — to eat
  14. foot — a measure
  15. chip — for betting
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. current — of water
  20. toast — bread
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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