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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · chair · chest · march · net · tear · charge · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. net — for catching
  5. charge — in control
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. date — the fruit
  9. season — in sport
  10. charge — a price
  11. march — music
  12. season — of the year
  13. march — the month
  14. net — in sport
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. charge — electricity
  18. tear — from crying
  19. net — after costs
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chair — a leader
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. chest — a box
  24. march — the month

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