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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: object · arm · bore · pitch · bark · degree · calf · chip

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. object — to protest
  4. degree — from a university
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bark — to shout
  9. object — a thing
  10. chip — for betting
  11. degree — temperature
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. object — an aim
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitch — completely
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bore — to drill

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