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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · fall · roll · squash · tube · spell · fan · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. spell — letters
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. roll — a cake
  7. tube — a container
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. tube — the underground
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. roll — a list
  17. squash — the sport
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fan — a supporter

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