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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: track · rash · cold · season · foot · mate · mug · date

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. date — the fruit
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mug — a face
  5. mate — a friend
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. track — a path
  9. mate — to breed
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mug — to rob
  14. season — in sport
  15. track — to keep track
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. cold — not warm
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. mug — a cup
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. track — a song
  23. cold — an illness
  24. season — of the year

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