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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: court · date · fan · pitcher · last · mine · mug · hide

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — to rob
  7. last — final
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. court — for sport
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. court — of law
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. court — of a king
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. date — the fruit
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. date — on the calendar

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