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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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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 · prune · kid · jam · present · rest · toast · arm

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. rest — what's left
  4. toast — bread
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rest — what's left
  7. present — the time now
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. present — a gift
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rest — a break
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. prune — to trim
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. kid — to tease
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. prune — to trim
  24. kid — child

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