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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: bay · field · hide · jam · content · foot · racket · date

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. date — the fruit
  8. field — a subject
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. content — happy
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. field — for sport
  20. content — the amount
  21. field — farmland
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. foot — a measure

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