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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · kick · hand · march · coach · trunk · kid · leaves

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. kick — in football
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. march — the month
  5. kid — to tease
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. march — music
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. hand — in cards
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. march — the month
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. kid — child
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. ball — a dance
  21. hand — help
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. ball — a great time
  24. leaves — lets stay

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