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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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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 · cabinet · racket · saw · wave · field · club · chair

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. club — for dancing
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. field — farmland
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. saw — the tool
  16. club — for golf
  17. chair — a leader
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. snap — to click
  21. saw — the tool
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. club — a group
  24. racket — for tennis

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