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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: ball · march · pass · file · cabinet · land · hand · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. march — the month
  3. file — a document
  4. land — to come down
  5. file — a tool
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. march — music
  10. hand — help
  11. file — a line of people
  12. march — the month
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. land — ground
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. land — a country
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. hand — in cards
  24. ball — a dance

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