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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: degree · mate · mouse · dip · pitch · swing · bark · arm

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. swing — in golf
  5. mate — a friend
  6. swing — music
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mate — to breed
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mate — a partner
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bark — to shout
  18. dip — to sink
  19. swing — to play on
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. degree — from a university
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — a sauce

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