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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 120 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 · staff · kick · suit · stand · cell · rest · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rest — what's left
  6. staff — employees
  7. cell — in biology
  8. content — the amount
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. rest — a break
  11. stand — to bear
  12. snap — to click
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. suit — clothes
  16. kick — in football
  17. rest — what's left
  18. staff — employees
  19. suit — to fit
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. staff — a stick
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. suit — in cards
  24. stand — for spectators

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