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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 · lie · rest · band · rush · mug · field · bat

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. field — a subject
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. band — a ring
  7. mug — to rob
  8. date — the fruit
  9. band — a music group
  10. mug — a cup
  11. field — for sport
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rest — a break
  17. field — farmland
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. lie — to recline
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mug — a face

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