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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 120 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: pass · spell · rock · pitcher · field · bass · shower · race

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pass — a permit
  6. field — farmland
  7. rock — music
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. spell — magic
  11. race — the arms race
  12. rock — a stone
  13. field — for sport
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. race — humankind
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. shower — rain
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. field — a subject
  24. race — a contest

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