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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.

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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: swing · mate · last · pitch · racket · club · chest · can

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — music
  4. mate — to breed
  5. swing — to play on
  6. last — final
  7. mate — a partner
  8. last — finally
  9. chest — of your body
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. club — a group
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. mate — a friend
  17. can — a tin
  18. last — to go on
  19. chest — a box
  20. can — a tin
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. can — to be able to
  23. chest — of your body
  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