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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 120 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: track · bark · kid · swing · dip · pitch · season · mark

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bark — to shout
  3. mark — a trace
  4. track — a path
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. pitch — completely
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — child
  14. track — a song
  15. swing — music
  16. mark — a grade
  17. swing — in golf
  18. season — in sport
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. swing — to play on
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. dip — to sink
  24. track — to keep track

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