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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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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: bark · kid · safe · bowl · pitch · bulb · degree · rule

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. bark — to shout
  3. rule — a law
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rule — government
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. kid — child
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. degree — from a university
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. degree — an amount

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