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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.

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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 · firm · wake · bark · cue · dip · drill · cold

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. cue — a hint
  3. drill — a practice
  4. dip — to sink
  5. cue — for pool
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. firm — decided
  9. firm — a company
  10. cue — a signal
  11. drill — the tool
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cold — not warm
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. drill — army training
  22. wake — a trail
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. firm — steady

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