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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: game · cue · bound · bat · bank · bark · pitch · track

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bat — the animal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bank — for money
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bound — obliged
  13. track — a song
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bound — certain
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. game — a match
  19. bank — for money
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pitch — completely
  23. track — a path
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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