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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: field · jam · court · hand · date · bank · foot · net

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bank — for money
  6. foot — a measure
  7. net — after costs
  8. hand — in cards
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. court — of law
  12. field — farmland
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. field — a subject
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. hand — help
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bank — for money
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. date — the fruit
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bank — of a river

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