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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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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: pitch · lie · current · racket · swing · bark

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. current — electric
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pitch — completely
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. current — happening now
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bark — to shout
  12. swing — in golf
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. swing — to play on
  17. current — of water
  18. swing — music

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