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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: club · bound · firm · net · sharp · chest · pitcher · object

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. club — for dancing
  4. chest — of your body
  5. object — to protest
  6. club — for golf
  7. bound — certain
  8. club — a group
  9. object — an aim
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — decided
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. chest — of your body
  16. object — a thing
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. firm — steady
  21. net — after costs
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chest — a box
  24. bound — obliged

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