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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: swing · hide · cell · craft · mouse · suit · chest · field

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. field — a subject
  3. craft — a skill
  4. chest — of your body
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. craft — boats
  7. suit — to fit
  8. field — for sport
  9. suit — in cards
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. chest — a box
  13. suit — clothes
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cell — a phone
  16. field — farmland
  17. cell — in biology
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. swing — to play on
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. swing — in golf

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