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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: trunk · ball · march · racket · jam · kick · row · staff

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. march — the month
  4. ball — a great time
  5. march — the month
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — in football
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. row — a line
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. staff — a stick
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. march — music

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