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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · race · last · rule · land · face · pitch · tube

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. rule — a law
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. face — part of the head
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bass — the fish
  8. last — finally
  9. face — to point toward
  10. tube — the underground
  11. land — to come down
  12. rule — government
  13. last — final
  14. land — ground
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pitch — completely
  18. last — to go on
  19. land — a country
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. face — to confront
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. tube — a container
  24. bass — low music

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