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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: pound · swing · track · sharp · pitch · pit · roll · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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 sports field
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bark — to shout
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. swing — music
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. track — a song
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pitch — completely
  16. track — a path
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. roll — a list
  19. pit — in a race
  20. roll — a cake
  21. track — to keep track
  22. swing — to play on
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pound — a weight

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