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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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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 · bay · root · bat · rest · sharp · snap · date

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. charge — in control
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — the animal
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. snap — to click
  13. root — of a word
  14. charge — electricity
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rest — what's left
  19. charge — a price
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rest — what's left
  24. root — the cause

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