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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 · cabinet · bulb · date · drill · bat · perch · rush

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bat — the animal
  6. date — the fruit
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rush — hurry
  13. perch — the fish
  14. charge — a price
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bulb — for light
  21. drill — the tool
  22. charge — in control
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bat — for baseball

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