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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: snap · chair · staff · dip · board · cell · kick · roll

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. staff — employees
  3. board — to get on
  4. cell — in biology
  5. chair — a leader
  6. staff — a stick
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. staff — employees
  12. snap — to click
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. kick — in football
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. roll — a list
  18. board — a committee
  19. dip — to sink
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. roll — a cake
  24. kick — with a leg

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