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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: bat · pit · track · mark · face · charge · bass · pitcher

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — a price
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. charge — electricity
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mark — a grade
  10. face — to confront
  11. bass — low music
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. track — a song
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. face — part of the head
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. face — to point toward

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