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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: snap · chair · club · sharp · bass · leaves · key · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. club — for dancing
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. key — the most important part
  6. chair — a leader
  7. sharp — clever
  8. club — a group
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. key — for a lock
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bass — low music
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. key — in music
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. snap — to click
  19. bass — the fish
  20. club — for golf
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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