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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. club — a group
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cold — an illness
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. swing — to play on
  7. staff — employees
  8. swing — music
  9. staff — employees
  10. club — for dancing
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. swing — in golf
  13. cold — not warm
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. charge — electricity
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bass — the fish
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. charge — a price
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. charge — in control
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. club — for golf

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