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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 · net · wound · current · bark · rush · degree · mark

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. current — of water
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. degree — from a university
  7. current — happening now
  8. mark — a grade
  9. net — for catching
  10. bark — to shout
  11. current — electric
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. mark — a trace
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. net — in sport
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. rush — hurry
  24. wound — an injury

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