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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 116 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mark — a grade
  5. firm — decided
  6. ground — a position
  7. bass — low music
  8. mark — a trace
  9. firm — a company
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bound — certain
  12. bark — to shout
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bass — the fish
  17. degree — from a university
  18. firm — steady
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bound — obliged

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