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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: squash · charge · court · content · hand · lash · hide · cap

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. charge — electricity
  4. squash — to crush
  5. cap — of ice
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. cap — a lid
  9. content — the amount
  10. charge — a price
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. hand — help
  13. squash — the sport
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. court — of a king
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. cap — a hat
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. content — happy
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. charge — in control
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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