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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: spell · mate · date · mug · fork · land · rush · game

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. rush — hurry
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. fork — in a road
  6. date — the fruit
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. spell — a short time
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. spell — letters
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mate — a partner
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. spell — magic
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. game — a match
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. land — ground
  24. game — a kind of play

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