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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
468
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: pitcher · date · pit · bark · trunk · fine · degree · cap

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cap — a hat
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cap — of ice
  10. date — the fruit
  11. fine — all right
  12. cap — a lid
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. degree — temperature
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. trunk — of a car
  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