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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: temple · mug · mate · shower · bass · hand · swing · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. club — for dancing
  5. shower — to wash
  6. club — a group
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. swing — to play on
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bass — low music
  13. swing — music
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bass — the fish
  16. shower — rain
  17. mug — a face
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a cup
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mate — a friend
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bass — the instrument

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