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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: stock · snap · bass · bark · pitch · temple · deal · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  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. track — a path
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. track — to keep track
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bass — low music
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. snap — to click
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. track — a song
  20. bass — the fish
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  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