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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: bass · pass · last · race · pitch · rash · lean · safe

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bass — low music
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. last — finally
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pitch — completely
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. race — humankind
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pass — a permit
  13. last — final
  14. lean — to bend
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — thin
  20. last — to go on
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. rash — a series

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