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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 · season · bulb · bat · tear · toast · date · rush

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  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. bulb — for light
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bulb — for light
  9. season — in sport
  10. tear — from crying
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. season — of the year
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rush — hurry
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. date — the fruit
  23. toast — bread
  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