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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: rest · kick · racket · trunk · lie · dip · bat · scale

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rest — what's left
  4. scale — size or range
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. scale — in music
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rest — a break
  11. kick — in football
  12. bat — the animal
  13. dip — to sink
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. lie — to recline
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rest — what's left
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. lie — an untruth

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