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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: jam · pitch · degree · file · field · cap · present · bark

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bark — to shout
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. pitch — completely
  5. present — there
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. degree — from a university
  8. field — a subject
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. present — a gift
  12. field — farmland
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. file — a tool
  15. present — the time now
  16. cap — a lid
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. field — for sport
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. file — a document
  24. cap — of ice

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