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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 116 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: game · hide · pitcher · bark · bass · band · pitch · calf

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. band — a ring
  3. bass — low music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. pitch — completely
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bass — the fish
  14. game — wild animals
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. band — a music group
  20. game — a match
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bark — of a tree

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