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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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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: date · mark · race · arm · lean · toast · squash · foot

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. squash — to crush
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. race — humankind
  6. squash — the sport
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. toast — bread
  10. mark — a trace
  11. lean — to bend
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. race — a contest
  19. mark — a grade
  20. date — the fruit
  21. race — the arms race
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. lean — thin

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