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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: pitch · rock · last · tube · bass · plane · snap · coach

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. tube — a container
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bass — low music
  9. pitch — completely
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. tube — the underground
  12. last — final
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. snap — to click
  17. last — finally
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bass — the fish
  23. last — to go on
  24. coach — a trainer

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