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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 120 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
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: content · lean · squash · hide · scale · arm · hand · lie

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. scale — size or range
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. scale — in music
  8. hand — help
  9. lean — thin
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. content — happy
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. content — the amount
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. hand — in cards
  19. squash — the sport
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lie — to recline
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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