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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 116 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: bowl · cap · last · bulb · race · face · rock · pitch

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. race — the arms race
  5. last — final
  6. rock — a stone
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bulb — for light
  9. last — finally
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. rock — music
  13. face — to point toward
  14. last — to go on
  15. cap — a hat
  16. face — to confront
  17. race — humankind
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. cap — of ice
  21. race — a contest
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bulb — of a plant

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