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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: pitcher · bass · race · hand · rock · cue · pit · last

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pit — a hole
  3. last — finally
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — the arms race
  6. last — to go on
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bass — low music
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rock — a stone
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. last — final
  13. pit — in a race
  14. rock — music
  15. cue — a signal
  16. race — a contest
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — for pool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. hand — help
  21. bass — the fish
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. hand — in cards

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