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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 · firm · pit · mark · degree · tube · scale · game

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. firm — decided
  3. scale — size or range
  4. mark — a trace
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bark — to shout
  7. game — a match
  8. degree — an amount
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. firm — steady
  14. mark — a grade
  15. firm — a company
  16. pit — in a race
  17. degree — temperature
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. scale — in music
  24. tube — a container

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