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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · pop · calf · pitch · net · stick · bark · content

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. content — the amount
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bark — to shout
  11. content — happy
  12. ground — the earth
  13. net — after costs
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. net — for catching
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. net — in sport
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  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