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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: ruler · club · staff · cell · snap · fan · racket · kick

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. staff — a stick
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. club — a group
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cell — a phone
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. club — for golf
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. staff — employees
  20. cell — in biology
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. snap — to click
  24. staff — employees

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