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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: pitcher · bat · chip · pound · bark · pit · fine · degree

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fine — high quality
  5. chip — to eat
  6. degree — from a university
  7. fine — all right
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. chip — for betting
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pit — a hole
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. degree — temperature

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