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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.

Make a worksheet

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: date · dip · drill · suit · mug · cold · mate · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. drill — army training
  12. suit — to fit
  13. file — a line of people
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. suit — in cards
  16. mate — a friend
  17. drill — a practice
  18. suit — clothes
  19. file — a document
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. drill — the tool
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. date — the fruit
  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