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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 116 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: squash · staff · cap · content · rest · bay · hide · lie

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. cap — of ice
  3. squash — to crush
  4. staff — employees
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. rest — what's left
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cap — a lid
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. lie — to recline
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cap — a hat
  16. content — happy
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. rest — a break
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. staff — employees
  24. hide — to keep secret

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