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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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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: pop · tube · swing · rule · plane · scale · race · pitcher

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. swing — music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rule — government
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. plane — a tool
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. race — a contest
  10. pop — soda
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. swing — in golf
  13. pop — music
  14. rule — a law
  15. scale — in music
  16. race — the arms race
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. tube — the underground
  20. swing — to play on
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. tube — a container
  23. race — humankind
  24. rule — to rule out

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