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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.

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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 · tube · face · race · row · racket · pitch · plane

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. tube — the underground
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — a contest
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bass — low music
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bass — the fish
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pitch — completely
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. row — to paddle
  16. tube — a container
  17. race — the arms race
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — to point toward
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. row — a line

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