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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 116 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: snap · court · cabinet · sharp · object · bay · ball · club

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. snap — to click
  5. club — for dancing
  6. court — for sport
  7. club — a group
  8. object — a thing
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. object — an aim
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. court — of law
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a great time
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. ball — a dance
  23. court — of a king
  24. club — for 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