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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: can · pitch · bass · scale · degree · face · tube · swing

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. tube — the underground
  4. scale — size or range
  5. tube — a container
  6. can — to be able to
  7. swing — in golf
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bass — the fish
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bass — low music
  12. degree — from a university
  13. face — to confront
  14. can — a tin
  15. degree — temperature
  16. scale — in music
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pitch — completely
  22. can — a tin
  23. face — to point toward
  24. tube — in a tire

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