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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 120 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: mine · pitch · pit · wake · bass · tube · craft · rule

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. craft — a skill
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. rule — a law
  14. craft — boats
  15. tube — the underground
  16. rule — government
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. tube — a container
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bass — low music
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pitch — completely
  24. mine — belonging to me

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