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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
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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: suit · can · snap · staff · clip · chair · foot · mine

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. clip — for paper
  6. staff — a stick
  7. suit — clothes
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mine — for digging
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. foot — a measure
  14. snap — to click
  15. clip — a video
  16. suit — in cards
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. staff — employees
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. suit — to fit
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. can — to be able to
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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