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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: date · land · mine · bay · mug · rest · dip · toast

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. mug — to rob
  3. toast — bread
  4. land — a country
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. rest — what's left
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — a cup
  11. land — ground
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. date — the fruit
  14. rest — a break
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. rest — what's left
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. mine — for digging
  20. land — to come down
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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