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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
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: hide · roll · suit · arm · cap · squash · march · content

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. content — the amount
  3. suit — in cards
  4. content — happy
  5. cap — of ice
  6. squash — to crush
  7. march — music
  8. cap — a hat
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. suit — clothes
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. squash — the sport
  15. roll — a list
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a cake
  19. march — the month
  20. suit — to fit
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. march — the month
  24. cap — a lid

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