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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 · race · season · swing · bass · vault · pass · content

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. season — of the year
  3. race — humankind
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. season — in sport
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pass — a permit
  11. swing — in golf
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. swing — music
  14. content — happy
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. race — a contest
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. vault — a safe
  22. swing — to play on
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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