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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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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: race · lash · kid · jam · bass · pitch · can · face

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. bass — low music
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bass — the fish
  8. race — a contest
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. can — to be able to
  11. race — the arms race
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — part of the head
  15. can — a tin
  16. kid — child
  17. race — humankind
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. face — to point toward
  20. can — a tin
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. pitch — completely
  24. kid — to tease

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