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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · bark · pitcher · game · staff · degree · tube · can

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. march — music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. staff — employees
  5. degree — temperature
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. staff — a stick
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. game — wild animals
  12. march — the month
  13. can — a tin
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tube — a container
  16. degree — an amount
  17. can — a tin
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. degree — from a university
  20. tube — the underground
  21. staff — employees
  22. bark — to shout
  23. march — the month
  24. can — to be able to

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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