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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: pitcher · toast · pop · pass · cold · bass · track · prune

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pop — music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bass — the fish
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bass — low music
  13. track — a song
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. toast — bread
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. cold — an illness

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