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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: pitch · pass · bass · dip · pop · court · last · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. last — final
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. last — to go on
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. last — finally
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pop — soda
  20. court — of law
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. bass — low music
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. dip — a sauce

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