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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: pitcher · mouse · season · track · foot · jam · capital · safe

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. season — in sport
  3. track — a song
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. season — of the year
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. capital — money
  13. track — a path
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. capital — a city
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. foot — a measure
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. capital — a big letter

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