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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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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 · field · pass · fan · pitcher · pit · rock · tear

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bass — low music
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rock — music
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pit — in a race
  10. field — farmland
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tear — from crying
  18. field — for sport
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tear — to rip
  23. field — a subject
  24. bass — the fish

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