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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: toast · capital · dip · leaves · season · jam · track · club

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. capital — money
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. club — a group
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. capital — a city
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. club — for dancing
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. club — for golf
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. season — in sport
  19. track — a song
  20. toast — bread
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. season — of the year
  24. track — a path

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