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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
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: jam · kid · field · racket · date · patient · suit · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. field — farmland
  5. suit — in cards
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. suit — to fit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. field — for sport
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. date — the fruit
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. field — a subject
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. suit — clothes
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. kid — to tease

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