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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: track · prune · chair · pit · pop · content · pitch · mate

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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. pop — music
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pit — a hole
  4. track — a path
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. content — happy
  7. chair — a leader
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pit — in a race
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pop — soda
  13. mate — a partner
  14. content — the amount
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. mate — a friend
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mate — to breed
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. pop — to visit
  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