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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · coach · charge · date · dip · game · current · tear

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. date — the fruit
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. game — a match
  8. tear — to rip
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. game — wild animals
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. dip — to sink
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — in control
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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