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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: bark · charge · degree · rest · straw · net · pitch · mark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. degree — temperature
  4. charge — a price
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mark — a trace
  7. charge — in control
  8. net — for catching
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rest — what's left
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. charge — electricity
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. net — in sport
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. degree — from a university
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. net — after costs
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. degree — an amount

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