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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: pop · plane · roll · face · bass · stock · race · swing

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. stock — goods
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. swing — to play on
  7. pop — music
  8. stock — shares
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pop — to visit
  11. swing — in golf
  12. race — a contest
  13. roll — a cake
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bass — low music
  16. pop — soda
  17. face — part of the head
  18. plane — a tool
  19. roll — a list
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. face — to confront
  22. bass — the fish
  23. face — to point toward
  24. race — humankind

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