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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: pop · chip · pitcher · prune · capital · track · jam · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pop — music
  3. prune — to trim
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. capital — money
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. track — a path
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pop — to visit
  16. track — to keep track
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. toast — bread
  22. track — a song
  23. pop — soda
  24. capital — a city

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