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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 120 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 · lean · foot · bass · hand · rule · fine · pitch

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rule — a law
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bass — the fish
  6. lean — to bend
  7. rule — government
  8. swing — music
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fine — high quality
  11. hand — in cards
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. hand — help
  14. foot — a measure
  15. lean — thin
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bass — low music
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pitch — completely
  24. swing — in 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