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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: jam · net · safe · mug · date · shower · hide · field

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. field — a subject
  3. net — after costs
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. field — for sport
  6. shower — to wash
  7. field — farmland
  8. net — in sport
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. net — for catching
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mug — a face
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. shower — rain
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mug — to rob

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