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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: toast · fall · arm · content · can · cold · charge · court

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — in control
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. fall — to drop
  7. court — for sport
  8. content — happy
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cold — an illness
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. court — of law
  15. can — a tin
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. fall — the season
  18. toast — bread
  19. content — the amount
  20. cold — not warm
  21. charge — electricity
  22. court — of a king
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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