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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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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: kick · trunk · season · bass · ground · rule · drill · mate

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. season — of the year
  3. drill — army training
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bass — low music
  11. season — in sport
  12. bass — the fish
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. ground — crushed
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rule — government
  20. drill — a practice
  21. ground — a position
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. kick — in football

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