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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: arm · squash · file · charge · court · race · bear · toast

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. court — for sport
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. charge — electricity
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — humankind
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. court — of a king
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. race — a contest
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. squash — to crush
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bear — the animal
  16. charge — in control
  17. court — of law
  18. toast — bread
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. charge — a price
  22. squash — the sport
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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