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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
468
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 · pitch · mine · mark · bat · mouse · key · bear

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. key — in music
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. pitch — completely

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