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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: kick · pitch · board · court · bark · trunk · pitcher · saw

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. court — for sport
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bark — to shout
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. board — a committee
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. board — to get on
  19. kick — in football
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. pitch — completely
  24. trunk — of a car

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