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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: date · swing · rush · chest · bore · bat · charge · lie

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bore — to drill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. chest — a box
  6. lie — to recline
  7. swing — music
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. charge — a price
  10. swing — to play on
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bore — to tire
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — electricity
  19. chest — of your body
  20. date — the fruit
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. date — on the calendar

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