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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: mate · mug · cue · sharp · date · spell · bore · chair

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  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. bore — to drill
  3. chair — a leader
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mate — to breed
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mate — a friend
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mug — a cup
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. sharp — clever
  16. spell — letters
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cue — a hint
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. date — the fruit
  23. cue — for pool
  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