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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: bark · pitch · track · chip · squash · kick · degree · fan

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. squash — the sport
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. chip — for betting
  14. track — a song
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. track — to keep track
  18. degree — temperature
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pitch — completely
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bark — to shout
  24. track — a path

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