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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: pitch · bark · cue · rush · sharp · degree · fine · ground

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cue — a hint
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. ground — a position
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cue — a signal
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cue — for pool
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. degree — an amount
  21. fine — all right
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pitch — a sports field

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