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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bound · squash · club · craft · court · chest · fan · snap

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bound — tied together
  3. club — a group
  4. chest — of your body
  5. club — for golf
  6. chest — a box
  7. craft — a skill
  8. snap — to click
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. court — of a king
  15. craft — boats
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bound — obliged
  18. squash — to crush
  19. court — for sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bound — certain
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. court — of law

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