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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 · fan · patient · date · current · bat · race · game

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. charge — a price
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. race — a contest
  7. bat — the animal
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. current — of water
  11. race — humankind
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. charge — in control
  15. current — electric
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. current — happening now
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. game — a match
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. charge — electricity

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