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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 · tube · roll · bat · face · swing · bulb · rock

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bat — the animal
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. face — to confront
  8. swing — music
  9. roll — a list
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. roll — a cake
  12. swing — in golf
  13. tube — a container
  14. swing — to play on
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. rock — a stone
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pitch — completely
  24. face — to point toward

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