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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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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: bat · net · cell · foot · firm · chest · hide · craft

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. craft — boats
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. firm — decided
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. craft — a skill
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. firm — a company
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. net — after costs
  11. chest — of your body
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bat — the animal
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. cell — a phone
  20. foot — a measure
  21. firm — steady
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. chest — a box

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