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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: racket · present · prune · face · jam · bat · mark · rock

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. present — there
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. face — part of the head
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rock — music
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. mark — a grade
  18. rock — a stone
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. face — to point toward
  22. prune — to trim
  23. present — the time now
  24. face — to confront

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