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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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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: jam · bass · tear · pitch · race · mate · tube · stick

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bass — the fish
  3. tube — a container
  4. race — a contest
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bass — low music
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. race — humankind
  12. mate — a partner
  13. tear — to rip
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pitch — completely
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. race — the arms race

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