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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bark · coach · mug · degree · lash · pitch · object · cell

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. object — a thing
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. cell — in biology
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. mug — to rob
  14. object — to protest
  15. mug — a face
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bark — to shout
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pitch — completely
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. object — an aim

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