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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
468
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: bass · firm · pitch · lash · racket · mine · rash · swing

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. swing — music
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. firm — a company
  7. pitch — completely
  8. firm — steady
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bass — the fish
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rash — a series
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bass — low music
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. swing — in golf
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. rash — hasty

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