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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: chest · bass · pitch · club · bound · rash · mine · suit

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. suit — in cards
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. club — for golf
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bass — low music
  11. suit — to fit
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rash — a series
  14. pitch — completely
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bass — the fish
  17. club — a group
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. chest — a box
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. mine — for digging

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