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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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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: board · staff · snap · cell · suit · band · bass · toast

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. staff — employees
  6. toast — bread
  7. snap — to click
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bass — low music
  10. band — a music group
  11. board — to get on
  12. cell — a phone
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. board — a committee
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. suit — clothes
  18. cell — in biology
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. bass — the fish
  21. band — a ring
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. board — a flat piece
  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