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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: mark · wave · straw · cap · rest · drill · bay · content

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rest — what's left
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. drill — army training
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. rest — a break
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. mark — a trace
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. content — happy
  14. cap — a hat
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. content — the amount
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. rest — what's left
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mark — a grade

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