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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: pitch · bass · ball · stem · saw · file · fan · dip

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bass — low music
  6. stem — to come from
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pitch — completely
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. ball — a great time
  13. file — a document
  14. ball — a dance
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bass — the fish
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. file — a tool

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