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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 · hide · field · kid · leaves · firm · jam · date

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. firm — steady
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. date — the fruit
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kid — child
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. kid — to tease
  21. firm — a company
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. firm — decided

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