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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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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: board · dip · lash · drill · march · cap · clip · bay

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — of ice
  3. march — the month
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cap — a hat
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. march — the month
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. clip — to cut
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. clip — for paper
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. drill — the tool
  19. board — a committee
  20. drill — army training
  21. board — to get on
  22. clip — a video
  23. march — music
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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