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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.

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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: trunk · kick · pass · bowl · snap · track · leaves · drill

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. pass — a permit
  3. track — a path
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. kick — in football
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. track — to keep track
  16. drill — army training
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. drill — the tool
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. drill — a practice
  23. track — a song
  24. trunk — of a tree

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