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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. degree — temperature
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bark — to shout
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. stock — goods
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. track — to keep track
  14. cell — in biology
  15. track — a path
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. cell — a phone
  21. degree — from a university
  22. track — a song
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bark — of a tree

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