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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 120 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: club · object · snap · racket · cabinet · bound · deal · patient

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. object — an aim
  7. bound — certain
  8. club — for dancing
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bound — tied together
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. club — for golf
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. object — to protest
  17. deal — to handle
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. snap — to click
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bound — obliged
  23. object — a thing
  24. club — a group

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