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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 · mate · bowl · charge · press · spell · cell · race

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. press — to push
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. spell — a short time
  9. cell — a phone
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. race — a contest
  14. mate — to breed
  15. press — newspapers
  16. date — the fruit
  17. charge — electricity
  18. cell — in biology
  19. mate — a partner
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. charge — in control
  23. race — humankind
  24. mate — a friend

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