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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: rash · face · race · charge · pitcher · pass · bat · date

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. face — to point toward
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. rash — a series
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pass — a permit
  8. rash — hasty
  9. charge — in control
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — a contest
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. charge — a price
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. date — the fruit

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