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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: mug · rock · land · cold · calf · date · mate · pit

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. land — to come down
  3. pit — a hole
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rock — a stone
  6. land — a country
  7. cold — an illness
  8. mate — a partner
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. cold — not warm
  12. date — the fruit
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rock — music
  18. mate — a friend
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. land — ground
  21. pit — in a race
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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