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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: tube · date · lie · mug · foot · rush · game · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mug — a face
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mug — a cup
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mine — for digging
  16. tube — a container
  17. rush — hurry
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. tube — the underground
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mug — to rob
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. date — the fruit

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