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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: deal · chair · snap · club · staff · wound · bass · firm

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. club — a group
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. firm — steady
  13. snap — to click
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. staff — employees
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — a company
  19. club — for dancing
  20. staff — a stick
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. club — for golf
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. staff — employees

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