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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: jam · track · prune · nail · capital · pitch · mate · firm

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. prune — to trim
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. firm — steady
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mate — to breed
  7. capital — a city
  8. track — a path
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. firm — a company
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. capital — money
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. firm — decided
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. track — a song

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