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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · rest · rash · pop · bass · last · game · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rest — a break
  3. bass — the fish
  4. last — finally
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rash — a series
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bass — low music
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. pop — music
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pop — to visit
  21. game — wild animals
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. pop — soda

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