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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 · ground · pitch · deal · mark · spring · present · lie

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. present — the time now
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — a position
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. present — a gift
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mark — a grade
  21. spring — of water
  22. present — there
  23. deal — to handle
  24. lie — an untruth

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