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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 · bore · track · rash · cell · date · pit · pitcher

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. charge — in control
  5. track — a path
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. charge — electricity
  12. rash — a series
  13. track — a song
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. cell — in biology
  19. charge — a price
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. date — the fruit
  22. cell — a phone
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pitcher — a jug

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