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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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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 · pitch · nail · row · bass · chair · face · kid

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bass — low music
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pass — a permit
  8. row — a line
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. face — to confront
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bass — the fish
  14. kid — child
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. face — part of the head
  24. nail — for a hammer

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