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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: staff · bark · bowl · pitch · current · can · degree · firm

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. current — of water
  7. staff — employees
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. degree — temperature
  10. staff — a stick
  11. current — happening now
  12. firm — steady
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. current — electric
  23. bark — to shout
  24. staff — employees

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