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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: kick · bat · chest · track · object · mark · dip · trunk

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. track — a song
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. kick — in football
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. object — to protest
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mark — a grade
  14. chest — of your body
  15. object — an aim
  16. chest — a box
  17. bat — the animal
  18. object — a thing
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — a thrill

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