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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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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: drill · bay · rush · hide · land · bound · bat · cap

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bat — the animal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. cap — a hat
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. land — to come down
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. land — ground
  20. cap — a lid
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bound — certain
  23. land — a country
  24. rush — to hurry

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