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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: shower · ball · pitcher · bass · swing · sharp · club · net

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. club — for golf
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. shower — rain
  10. swing — in golf
  11. shower — to wash
  12. club — for dancing
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. net — for catching
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bass — low music
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. swing — to play on
  23. ball — a great time
  24. club — a group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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