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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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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 · key · bark · bay · foot · temple · march · trunk

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. march — the month
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. march — the month
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. foot — a measure
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. key — in music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bark — to shout

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