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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: pit · kid · tear · arm · season · racket · prune · rush

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. kid — child
  9. season — of the year
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. kid — to tease
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. season — in sport
  18. pit — a hole
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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