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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: mouse · pitch · racket · deal · bark · march · mine · jam

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. march — the month
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mine — for digging
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — to handle
  13. march — the month
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. march — music
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bark — to shout

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