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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
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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: mine · cell · date · mark · rush · file · mug · coach

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. file — a line of people
  6. date — the fruit
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rush — hurry
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mug — a face
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cell — in biology
  20. file — a document
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. mine — for digging
  24. file — a tool

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