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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: jam · board · racket · pitch · bark · date · pop · rash

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. board — to get on
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pop — music
  15. board — a committee
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. date — the fruit
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pop — soda
  24. rash — a series

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