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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: pitcher · firm · degree · bark · wake · fine · chip · squash

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. degree — an amount
  4. firm — a company
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. chip — to eat
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bark — to shout
  13. firm — decided
  14. degree — temperature
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wake — a trail
  17. fine — high quality
  18. firm — steady
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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