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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. drill — a practice
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. drill — the tool
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. content — happy
  9. chip — to eat
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. scale — in music
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. content — the amount
  18. chip — for betting
  19. prune — to trim
  20. drill — army training
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. scale — size or range

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