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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: season · suit · dip · date · drill · field · track · kid

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. suit — in cards
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. field — for sport
  4. suit — to fit
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. drill — a practice
  8. track — a song
  9. field — a subject
  10. drill — army training
  11. track — a path
  12. drill — the tool
  13. date — the fruit
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. kid — child
  17. suit — clothes
  18. dip — to sink
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. track — to keep track
  21. field — farmland
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  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