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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: date · pop · roll · cabinet · spell · bark · pitch · racket

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. roll — a list
  8. date — the fruit
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. spell — letters
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bark — to shout
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pop — music
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. spell — magic
  20. pop — soda
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. roll — a cake
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. racket — for tennis

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