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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: kid · perch · content · lie · arm · hide · drill · band

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. drill — the tool
  7. content — the amount
  8. kid — child
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. drill — a practice
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. lie — to recline
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. content — happy
  18. band — a music group
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. drill — army training
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. kid — to tease

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