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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. track — a path
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. content — happy
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pop — soda
  11. content — the amount
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pop — to visit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pop — music
  17. chest — a box
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pitch — completely
  21. prune — to trim
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. track — a song

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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