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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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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 · straw · content · snap · suit · leaves · bay · lash

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. suit — clothes
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. drill — the tool
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. drill — a practice
  11. suit — in cards
  12. content — happy
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. drill — army training
  15. content — the amount
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. suit — to fit
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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