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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: mate · drill · trunk · bay · content · stand · hide · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mate — a friend
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. stand — to bear
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mate — a partner
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cap — a lid
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. content — happy
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. content — the amount
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cap — of ice

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