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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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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 · jam · pit · ground · capital · roll · can · branch

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. roll — a cake
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. toast — bread
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. ground — a position
  13. pit — a hole
  14. capital — a city
  15. can — to be able to
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. ground — the earth
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. ground — crushed
  21. branch — a division
  22. roll — a list
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. pit — in a race

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