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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. sharp — clever
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. kick — in football
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pitch — completely
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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