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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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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: swing · bass · club · net · mate · pound · hand · suit

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. net — after costs
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mate — a partner
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bass — low music
  7. hand — help
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — a group
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a friend
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pound — a weight
  19. net — for catching
  20. suit — to fit
  21. net — in sport
  22. club — for golf
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. hand — part of the body

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