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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: craft · firm · rush · hide · field · mate · mine · cell

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. craft — a skill
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mate — a friend
  8. field — for sport
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mate — a partner
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mate — to breed
  15. rush — hurry
  16. field — a subject
  17. mine — for digging
  18. field — farmland
  19. craft — boats
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — decided
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. firm — a company

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