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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · face · race · saw · root · bass · pass · file

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. race — the arms race
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. root — of a word
  6. race — a contest
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. face — to confront
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. face — part of the head
  18. saw — the tool
  19. race — humankind
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. file — a tool
  22. bass — low music
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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