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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 116 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: bowl · staff · pop · trunk · march · kick · board · bat

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. board — to get on
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. staff — a stick
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. board — a committee
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. staff — employees
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pop — to visit
  20. staff — employees
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. march — the month

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