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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 120 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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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 · firm · craft · saw · chest · deal · cap · field

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. field — a subject
  4. firm — decided
  5. chest — of your body
  6. craft — boats
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chest — of your body
  10. field — for sport
  11. cap — of ice
  12. craft — a skill
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. chest — a box
  16. field — farmland
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. firm — a company
  21. deal — to handle
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cap — a hat

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