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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: squash · suit · field · date · jam · land · rest · net

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. land — ground
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. rest — what's left
  5. net — after costs
  6. squash — to crush
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. field — for sport
  9. net — in sport
  10. rest — a break
  11. net — for catching
  12. land — to come down
  13. rest — what's left
  14. squash — the sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. field — a subject
  18. land — a country
  19. suit — to fit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. suit — clothes
  23. suit — in cards
  24. squash — the vegetable

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