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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: charge · toast · file · race · foot · lie · tube · mug

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. foot — a measure
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. race — humankind
  6. mug — to rob
  7. tube — the underground
  8. file — a tool
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. mug — a face
  13. toast — bread
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mug — a cup
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. race — a contest
  18. file — a document
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. race — the arms race
  22. tube — a container
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. lie — an untruth

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